


One Way Out

by goldhowler



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Aged-Up Character(s), Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blackmail, Butt Ogling, Clubbing, Drinking, Dubious Consent, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Excusing abuse, Financial Issues, First Dates, Illegal Activities, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Jealousy, Loan Shark - Freeform, Love at First Sight, M/M, Making Out, Manipulation, Masturbation in Shower, Moving In Together, Mutual Masturbation, Non-Explicit Sex, Partying, Physical Abuse, Possessive Behavior, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sleeping Together, keeping secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-10-04 02:44:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10265864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldhowler/pseuds/goldhowler
Summary: Sugawara Koushi came to Tokyo to study at a university he obtained a full scholarship for, but he still needs a part-time job to pay rent and feed himself. Kuroo Tetsurou is a mysterious, sexy guy who not only helps Sugawara to get hired as a waiter in an amazing, expensive restaurant, but turns his entire world upside down. However, not all changes are good and some are definitelly illegal.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt to write a long, serious fic. Hopefully you will enjoy my take on dark, illegal activities and sweet, poor soul being drawn into something he definitelly did not sign up for.

This was it. Sugawara Koushi, grey haired eighteen-year-old, was standing in front of the gate, three more steps and his life would officially change. He put on a smile and took a deep breath, willing his feet to move forward. He made it. He got into the university of his choice and due to his hard work he was exempted from the tuition fees. It was like a dream, something he never thought he could achieve, but here he was. 

“Oops, I’m so sorry,” a guy his age apologized when he collided with Sugawara, sending him stumbling into the university areal. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Sugawara smiled. The other guy looked so nervous he couldn’t bring himself to say anything else. “First year?” 

The guy nodded, tucking his hair behind his ear. “I’ve never been so nervous in my life. Oikawa Tooru,” he extended his hand. 

Sugawara shook it, introducing himself as well. This was great. Although they weren’t attending the same faculty, they he still got to know at least one person. Both still had time before their first classes started, so they decided to grab a quick coffee from the vending machine. 

“Hey, Sugawara. Want to go drab a drink tonight? We should celebrate our first day as university students, don’t you think? We’re getting together with some friends from high school, but I don’t think they will mind, you seem like a fun guy.” 

Sugawara thought about it for a little before he politely refused the offer, “Sorry, but I need to find a part-time job as quickly as possible. Maybe next time?” 

“Oh, sure. I’ve worked my butt off at three different part-time jobs so I wouldn’t have to start looking for a job right away, but I guess I should start looking for one as well soon. Anyways, let me give you my number so we can get in touch!” Sugawara handed him his cellphone, Oikawa saving his own number into the contacts, ringing himself so he could save Sugawara’s number as well before they parted ways, going to look for their classrooms. 

Sugawara thought about what Oikawa said. Of course he himself worked hard during the break, but ended up giving all the money to his mother to help them. Due to unexpected events his parents were financially struggling and giving them his earnings was the least he could do, knowing they were doing their best to pay the medical bills for the cancer treatment of his late grandfather, even though his father’s brother was much wealthier, yet incredibly selfish. 

-

After his lectures were over he almost ran to his tiny, ugly one bedroom flat he rented from the old man who smelled like beer and cigarettes and quite frankly, so did the flat, no matter how many times Sugawara tried to air the room. But it had a bed, bathroom, table, chair, fridge and a very tiny kitchen corner. It was all he needed and all he could afford. He took out the textbooks he borrowed from his bag and replaced them with a stack of his CV’s he previously printed. Quickly he changed his clothes from a basic t-shirt to a nice, light blue short sleeved button-down, black sweater and a jacket, running a comb through his hair before putting on his shoes and running out the door. 

He has spent three hours walking around, asking in every store and every fast-food place, but they rarely took the CV from him. Apparently all the part-time jobs were already taken by students who started looking two, three weeks ago. Frustrated, he sat on the bench in the park, sipping on the bottle of green tea he got from the discount store. He would have to try again the next day. And the next and the next, he would pick up the trash if he needed to if it meant he would be able to stay in Tokyo and study. 

“Excuse me.” 

Sugawara looked up and looked into the eyes of one of the most beautiful boy he has ever seen. Messy black hair falling over his right eye, dressed in skinny jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket, all in black, looking at him like he was angel himself. Sugawara’s heartbeat quickened and he made himself smile at the man, although he wasn’t really sure what he wanted. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought…” the guy shook his head and snickered. “You just looked like someone I used to know, but – I was mistaken. So I’m just… have a nice evening,” he turned around, making three steps before he stopped and turned back. “Mind if I sit down?” 

“Um – sure,” Sugawara smiled, scooting to the side to make a place for the guy. 

“I’m Kuroo Tetsurou.”

“Sugawara Koushi, nice to meet you,” he shook the offered hand, unintentionally holding it for a second or two longer than he should have, but that time made him feel so warm inside. 

“Tell me, Sugawara, why are you sitting here alone like this, looking so sad? Did something happen?” He took out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket, placing one end between his lips, lighting the other with a fancy looking silver lighter.

Sugawara scrunched his nose over the smell, but said nothing. “I’ve just moved to Tokyo to study at the university, so I need a job to be able to pay the rent and feed myself, but apparently I should have started job hunting three weeks ago so now I’m just trying to figure out what to do,” he snorted when he realized he was telling his sad story to this gorgeous man who probably didn’t care at all, but what did it matter. They would never see each other again anyways. “I don’t suppose you know about a part-time job somewhere around here, do you?” 

Kuroo exhaled the smoke and thought for a moment before his lips stretched in a grin. “You know what? I actually think I do. Come with me,” he stood up, offering his hand to Sugawara, who ignored it with a blush, but stood up as well.

“I was joking, you know?” The grey haired boy smiled, but Kuroo shrugged.

“Well, I was not. But it’s up to you, you said you need a part-time job and I know of one, easy and simple,” he spread his hands in a ‘it’s your choice’ gesture. 

Sugawara pretended to think about it for a few more seconds, but the truth was he has decided the moment Kuroo mentioned the job offer. He needed the money. “Okay, lead the way,” he smiled and followed the taller man. 

For a little while they walked in silence. _’What am I doing?’_ Sugawara thought. For all he knew this guy could be leading him to some abandoned alley where he would rob and kill him, not that he would be able to steal much. Yet somehow, he had a good feeling about Kuroo. He seemed kind and friendly and god, his body was amazing. He pretended to stumble a little so he could walk half a step behind him, having the chance to really take a good look. Kuroo was taller than Sugawara, his black skinny jeans showing off just enough of the beautiful curve of his ass and his long, lean legs.

“You know it’s not considered too polite to ogle at people when they are not looking, don’t you?” Kuroo turned to him and this time, Sugawara actually stumbled, cursing himself in his mind for being so obvious. 

“Sorry,” he muttered, lowering his eyes. This was exactly why he never had a boyfriend before, because he was just too awkward. 

However, Kuroo laughed and swayed his hips a little as he continued to walk. “Well, gotta admit I don’t blame you, I do have a nice ass.” 

Sugawara felt like crawling into a hole and dying of embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to be so rude, I’m sorry,” he apologized once again. 

“Hey, it’s okay, don’t worry about it. In fact, I think yours is great as well. See, now we’re even,” he smirked before turning left and stopping in front of an expensive looking restaurant. For a second Sugawara didn’t really know why they had stopped, his thoughts jumbled from the fact that this gorgeous man just told him that he thought his ass looked great. 

“You go in there and ask for a manager, okay? If I recall he has said something about needing a waiter and if he says he doesn’t need any, just mention you’ve heard of this from Kuroo and I’m sure he will make an exception,” he smiled and brushed a strand of hair to its place. “He owes me a tiny little favour.”

“Thank you,” the grey haired boy smiled, willing himself to tear away from those intense hazel eyes. 

“It’s okay. Now go and charm him like you have charmed me and I’m sure it will work out,” he lowered his hand, brushing his fingertips over Sugawara’s cheek before he stepped away. 

Sugawara wasn’t really sure what just happened, so he turned around and walked into the restaurant. Everything was decorated in royal blue and gold and when he looked up he saw a beautiful, giant chandelier. There was no way they would hire someone like him into a place like this, but he had to try anyways. 

“Excuse me, can I help you?” asked the beautiful hostess.

“Em – hello. I’ve been told you might be looking for a waiter so I would like to speak to your manager if you wouldn’t mind,” he put on his best, genuine smile, hoping she wouldn’t send him on his way just like that. 

“Certainly, please wait here for a moment,” she smiled professionally, her eyes not reflecting what she might really think of him. 

He waited there for couple of minutes before a tall man in a perfectly fitting and clearly very expensive suit approached him. 

“Hello, I’m the manager of this restaurant. I’ve heard you are here for the position of the waiter?” 

Sugawara nodded. “Yes, that is correct. I have a little bit of experience, I’ve been employed as waiter for three months, but I have to admit it wasn’t – “

The manager lifted his hand, stopping Sugawara from continuing. “I am sorry, but the position has already been filled.”

 _’Of course it has,’_ Sugawara thought. That was simply his stupid luck. “Kuroo told me about the position, saying you might – “ 

He didn’t finish once again when he saw the manager’s expression change from arrogant to shocked to a warm, welcoming smile. “Kuroo, you said? I see,” he thought for a small while. “I am sure I will be able to find a position for you, Mr. … ?” 

“Sugawara. Sugawara Koushi,” he handed him his CV, the manager taking it immediately, glancing over it. 

“Mr. Sugawara, of course. I am afraid I will need couple of days to find a suitable position for you, but I can promise I will contact you within couple of days when you should come back for your training. Is this alright?” 

The boy couldn’t believe his ears. If he wasn’t mistaken the man just hired him, or rather promised to create a position specifically for him. Whatever favour this man owed Kuroo, Sugawara was sure it wasn’t really that tiny but he couldn’t bring himself to question it. He had a job and he would be able to remain in Tokyo. “Of course, thank you very much. I will do my best and work hard, you won’t be disappointed.” 

“I believe you, Mr. Sugawara. Now, I am afraid I have other matters to attend to, so I will excuse myself,” he lowered his head in acknowledgement and walked away.

Sugawara exited the restaurant with a huge grin on his face, wanting to thank Kuroo once again and hopefully to be brave enough and ask for his number, but he wasn’t there. He looked around, thinking Kuroo may have gone to sit on a bench close by, but no. The black haired boy was gone. 

_’What were you expecting, you idiot?’_

-

It was almost 9pm when he finally got home, tired but unable to stop smiling at the fact that he accomplished his mission of finding a job, the happiness that was dampened only by the regret of not asking Kuroo for his number before he entered the restaurant.

“Mom? I didn’t wake you up, did I?” he laid on top of his smelly bed with a phone pressed to his ear. “Ah, good. I just came home. … No, don’t worry, I wasn’t drinking, I’ve been looking for a job. … Please, mom, don’t start again. I am happy that I can support myself at university, I’m old enough to do so. I just wanted to tell you that I found a job today in a really fancy restaurant. … Yes, it was massive and so beautiful, I think the pay will be good. … Yes, mom. I will make sure I eat well. … I love you too, mom. Tell dad I said hi. … Yes, I will call you next week again. Good night.”

He turned off the call and let his hand fall on top of the mattress. Maybe with this job he would be able to rent something that didn’t stink so badly. He took a quick lukewarm shower in the tiny bathroom, trying to ignore the weird black stains in the corner, then he made himself a cup of coffee, ignoring how tired he felt, and opened first of the several textbooks he has borrowed from the university library earlier. The sooner he started studying and taking notes, the better he would be prepared for the upcoming exams. There was no way he would risk a chance of losing the scholarship because of his laziness.


	2. Chapter 2

The others were whispering about him again, he knew that for sure, but he didn’t really care. He needed the job desperately so if it meant he had to put up with some stupid gossips, he would. After all, he wasn’t here to make friends. He was here to study and make some money so he could get a good job in the future and help his parents out with their financial burden. Still, he was certain those whispers would fade out soon as he did his absolute best to prove himself to the manager and the rest of the employees. He was sure to remember the most about all the meals, specials and wines in matter of days, cramming it into his brain until he would be able to recite everything from memory if he got woken up in the middle of the night. It’s been a week and half since he got hired and the manager has been so impressed by his work that he has been assigned to serving a private box that night. 

“Remain calm and professional. Those people are not some angry drunks. They are one of our most important customers, so do your best,” his senior waiter instructed him before he left to take care of one of the other private boxes. 

_’I can do this,’_ he assured himself before he slided the door open and walked in, straightening his back and putting on a warm smile.

“Good evening, my name is Sugawara and I will be your waiter tonight,” he introduced himself before he looked on the people sitting at the table and his eyes met with the familiar pair of hazel eyes belonging to Kuroo Tetsurou, the mysterious guy he couldn’t stop thinking about. 

The black haired boy glanced on him and looked away as if he didn’t recognize him at all. Sugawara paused for half a second before he forced himself to ignore the guy and focus on his job. He would have time to worry about. 

“You’re new here,” one of the men stated. When Sugawara really looked at him, he felt like he looked at Kuroo, just a little older and with neater hair. 

“Yes, sir, I am. Can I bring you something to drink before you look at the menu?” he smiled, glancing over everyone sitting at the table. Most of them ordered just water or tea, which he didn’t really expect from the look of them. They all had this dark look in their eyes, Sugawara feeling a little chill at the base of his spine when he walked away to get their drinks. His mind kept running to Kuroo who spoke to him in a cold tone when he ordered his sparkling water. Did he not recognize him? Was the person he met the other day his twin brother or something? There went all his hopes for getting to know him. But still Sugawara had to admit that Kuroo looked amazing in his black suit paired with midnight blue shirt and black tie, it only enhanced the blackness of his hair and depth of his eyes. 

It felt like their dinner went on forever. Only after they ate they started ordering alcohol, lots of it. Within half an hour he was dealing with drunken old men, one of them even tried to touch Sugawara’s butt, but he kept his professional look, not fussing about it, however as the night went on, he dreaded more and more going in there. It didn’t help that Kuroo kept ignoring him, not even bothering to look at him, which made Sugawara honestly sad and it became harder and harder to keep smiling. He couldn’t understand it, he only met the man once, yet it hurt being overlooked like this. 

When they finally paid their bill and left, it was already almost midnight and when Sugawara finished cleaning, it was already past quarter to one. Exhausted he took off his uniform, taking it home to wash before his next shift and put on his civil clothes, saying goodbye to the co-workers who still had a little time of their shift left and exited the building. The nights were gradually getting warmer and he was thankful for that, as his warmer jacket was in catastrophic state and he didn’t have the money to get a new one before the autumn came. 

“You did well,” the guy leaning against the wall near the entrance said, a cigarette in his hand. 

Sugawara almost had a heart attack that very second, his pulse racing. “Holy shit! – What are you doing here?” 

“Waiting for you, of course,” Kuroo smiled and stepped closer to the silver haired boy, smiling at him. His tie was loosened and Sugawara blushed because he looked incredibly hot.

“Why? I thought you didn’t really remember me or… I don’t know.”

Kuroo threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stepped closer to Sugawara, maybe too close than was appropriate. “I’m sorry. You see, one of the men was my father and trust me, if he found out I know you, you wouldn’t like it that much. He can be quite… intense, if I can put it that way. But please trust me that I’ve noticed you and you looked wonderful in that uniform,” he smiled and ran his fingers over Sugawara’s cheek, covering the small mole under his eye for a few seconds before he let his hand fall down. 

Sugawara’s cheeks heated up as he ran his own fingers over the place, trying to brush off the feeling of Kuroo’s touch. He was terribly tired and all this was just messing with her head. The only thing he couldn’t let himself do was to read more into this. “I think I should go. It’s late and my classes start before noon,” he said quietly, stepping away from the black haired guy. 

“Can I walk you home?” Kuroo asked, but Sugawara shook his head. 

“I’m fine, thank you. It was nice to see you though. And thank you once again for your help with the job, I will actually be able to pay the rent next month. So – have a good night,” he smiled and turned around, taking a few steps before Kuroo grabbed his hand and stopped him. 

“Okay, can I ask you for your number instead? I mean – I will say it straight away that I’m attracted to you so if you are interested, I would like to ask you out for a coffee or something,” Kuroo blurted out.

Sugawara just looked at him with his mouth open. This gorgeous, mysterious man just asked for his number and admitted being attracted to him. “Um. S-sure,” he took the phone from Kuroo and tapped his number into it with his shaky fingers before handing it back. 

“Thank you,” Kuroo’s eyes sparkled as he saved it. “Have a good night, Sugawara,” he smiled and turned around, lighting another cigarette before he walked away. 

-

“Hey, Sugawara!” called the brown haired boy and quickly caught up, panting slightly. “Are you free now?”

“Hello Oikawa, yeah, just have a free period. Want to grab some coffee?” Sugawara smiled, happy that he finally met with the boy once again. Due to his part time work and catching up with studies in his free periods he didn’t have the chance to actually talk to Oikawa for more than ten minutes when they randomly met up, but now he just needed to pour out his heart to someone even if it meant staying up late at night. 

Oikawa grabbed his hand and laughed: “Oh yes, coffee, please! Where have you been, what have you been doing, tell me everything! I want to know,” he dragged Sugawara towards the university café that thankfully wasn’t too crowded. 

“Have you found a job?” Oikawa asked when they were waiting for the coffee to arrive. 

Sugawara nodded. “Believe or not I’m a waiter in that fancy restaurant near the park,” he chuckled. 

“No way. A friend of mine tried to get a job there but they told him they weren’t hiring. How did you do that?”

“Actually,” Sugawara smiled and dropped his gaze. “There was this guy who helped me to get a job there. He knew the manager, said he owed him a small favour.” 

“Oh, a friend of yours? That’s nice. Ah, thank you,” he thanked the lady who brought their coffee’s. 

“No, he’s not a friend, he’s.... I just met him that night in the park. Black hair, kinda hot. Well, that doesn’t really matter,” Sugawara smirked and Oikawa lifted one eyebrow in question. “Yes, by the way I’m gay. Anyways, it was really nice of him and I’m really thankful for that. It pays so well I might be able to find a different flat to rent soon.” 

Oikawa sipped on his latté and furrowed his brows. “Wait, you’re telling me that his complete stranger just came out of nowhere and helped you to get a job in such place just like that? That is weird. What else you know about him?” 

“Yeah, he kinda said I reminded him of someone so maybe he helped me because I reminded him of a friend? I don’t know and don’t particularly care, I really needed the job. But then he came there with a group of older men and his father, it looked like a business meeting. So he’s a normal working guy, there’s nothing sketchy about him,” Sugawara rolled his eyes over Oikawa’s worries. If there was something weird about Kuroo, he’d already know. 

“For all you know he could be a part of yakuza. I’ll be honest, Sugawara, I don’t have a good feeling about him. I am not completely sure why, it’s a gut feeling I guess.”

“Oikawa, I appreciate your concern but trust me, there is no way he’s yakuza. He’s nice, really,” he smiled. 

“Alright,” Oikawa shrugged. “I’ll trust you, I don’t know anything about him. Just be careful, alright? If he tries something funny, you can call me anytime. And by the way,” he winked at the silver haired boy. “I’m bisexual. So don’t worry, I don’t judge.” 

Sugawara wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was glad Oikawa showed some concern about him. After all he was the closest he had to a friend in Tokyo. They spent the rest of the free period talking about Oikawa’s friend and the fact that he already managed to get drunk till he was sick and was forced to miss his morning lessons. Therefore it shocked him when Sugawara admitted not having a single drink yet and made him promise that they’d go out once he got his first pay check. 

-

Sugawara rushed to the changing room, quickly putting on his uniform. It wasn’t like he wanted to rush, but he got caught up in an essay. The lack of sleep slowly became apparent with the dark shadows underneath his eyes. He tried to plan his work around the classes so he still theoretically should be getting at least six and half hours of sleep a night, but that would require his neighbours to stop drunk-arguing every single night. Although he tried to complain to the landlord, the man just shrugged and scratched chest before he said that if Sugawara doesn’t like the flat, he should find something else instead. 

“Sugawara, can I have a word with you?” one of the senior waiters asked when he noticed the boy there. 

“Sure, what is going on?” 

“Do you smoke? It’s okay if you do, but I need to ask you not to smoke in your uniform.” 

Sugawara froze. “I’m not a smoker,” he replied before it hit him. It was the smell from his flat, the smell that wouldn’t go away unless all the curtains and carpet was replaced. The disgusting odour of cigarette smoke, old wood and stuffy air remained no matter how many times he tried to air the apartment, but he didn’t realize it would be so apparent on his clothes. 

“Well, that is your business, but if customers complain, you will be in trouble. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again, okay?” 

“Sure,” Sugawara nodded, his cheeks red. At that moment he just wanted to implode from embarrassment. He definitely needed to find a new place. He fished out the bottle of deodorant from his bag and sprayed it all over himself, coughing a little. 

The restaurant was crowded as always, and he quickly hurried towards his section, seating and serving all kinds of people, all connected only by the fact that they were undoubtedly rich. Despite earlier embarrassment he felt really confident and good that day and he didn’t mess up a single order even without double-checking. He couldn’t believe how fast the shift went by and soon enough it was 11:30pm and he was already changing to his normal clothes to go home. He checked his phone, the small light flashing green, announcing a new message. 

_Sugawara, I’ve been wondering if I could invite you for a dinner? I would like to get to know you better. Please, let me know. Kuroo_

He smiled and blushed. It was too late to reply now, he would do it tomorrow. His heart started racing at the imagination of dining with the sexy guy, maybe it could even lead to something more. After all, Sugawara was a man and it’s been a long time since he had a boyfriend. He couldn’t deny being attracted to Kuroo, like really attracted. Quickly he grabbed his bag and almost ran home, the message giving him a new boost of energy he used to finish all of his assignments so he could reply Kuroo that he was free. This way, he would be free for the next two evenings. The excitement even prevented him from being angry at the drunken neighbour shouting at his wife, accusing her of being unfaithful over and over and over again. Soon he would move out and everything would be great. Maybe he really started figuring it all out.


	3. Chapter 3

Sugawara was wearing the nicest pair of tighter black jeans he owned, paired with a simple white shirt and navy blue blazer. He put lots of effort in his appearance; he had a date after all. Nervousness coursed through his body as he stood in front of the mirror, tugging at his sleeves and running fingers through his hair. This would either end up awesome and there was the smallest chance he could relieve his sexual frustration a little after so many months or it would go terribly and he would never get to see Kuroo again, but either way he was determined to put his all into this date.

“I am freaking Sugawara Koushi,” he mumbled and looked his own reflection to the eyes, “and I won’t make a fool of myself tonight.”

His phone went off, Kuroo messaging him that he is just a few minutes away from the place he would pick him up. Sugawara quickly grabbed his things, locked the flat and rushed to the place two streets away. He didn’t want Kuroo to know exactly where he lived, not because he was scared he would be stalked but mainly because he was so ashamed. The following week he would start looking for something new, depending on how he would have left of his salary. A big black car was already patiently waiting at the arranged place and when he approached it, a man got out of the driver’s seat to open the back door for him. He froze, not really knowing what was happening, but when he looked inside, Kuroo was sitting on the other side, smiling at him.

“Hi. Come on, hop in.” 

Sugawara blushed, pink spreading over his entire face and ears when he got into the car, bowing his head and thanking the driver, who closed the door behind him and got behind the wheel. The reality sank in. 

_Kuroo had a personal driver. Just who the hell was he?_

“Sorry about that. I thought we might have some wine tonight, otherwise I would drive myself,” Kuroo said, but didn’t really look like it was anything special. If anything it seemed like to him, having a driver was the most natural thing ever. 

“No, it’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting this, that’s all,” he mumbled, putting his seatbelt on. The truth was that Sugawara didn’t even have a driving licence and it would probably take a long time before he would get it, if at all. He couldn’t afford a car anyways. 

“How have you been?” 

“Ah, I’m great,” Sugawara put on a smile and finally looked Kuroo in the eyes. If he wanted to make an impression, he would have to put his nervousness aside. “Actually, the studies are pretty good, I’m a bit ahead in some lectures so that is great. And I’ve found a friend I grab a coffee with sometimes, I call that a success. But what about you? To tell the truth I don’t even know how old you are, so I can’t really ask if you are a student or something,” he chuckled. It was apparent that Kuroo wasn’t much older than himself, but sometimes looks could be deceiving. 

The black haired boy snorted a little, “I’m 21, but I’m not a student, no. But we can talk about that later, how would you feel about a steak? I know this awesome steak house. Or would you rather something else? Just tell me.”

“Steak sounds pretty amazing,” Sugawara smiled, even though a big red warning flashed in the back of his mind. He would have to pick something really cheap, otherwise he’d have to eat instant ramen for the next week and that would result in him having a stomach pain, not mentioning he’d probably be hungry as hell. The restaurant thankfully wasn’t too far as they were quickly running out of small talk. Sugawara didn’t feel too comfortable talking about deeper things in front of the driver, even though he most likely wouldn’t mind. 

“Choose whatever you want,” Kuroo said when they sat at their table and looked into the menu. He must have noticed Sugawara’s face when he noticed the prices as it was even more than he originally anticipated. This was a really fancy steak house indeed. “I asked you out so I’m paying. I’d recommend the beef with red wine and shallots, had that one before and it’s out of this world.”

Sugawara blushed. He really wanted to insist that it wasn’t proper for him to let Kuroo pay, but the truth is he really didn’t have enough money. “That actually sounds incredible, I think I’ll listen to your recommendation. Thank you.” _When I get paid and if this goes well, I’ll invite him next time,_ he swore to himself. 

“Well, gentlemen. Have you decided?” the sympathetic waiter asked with a smile. 

“Yes, he will have this beef steak with red wine and shallot sauce and… steak fries?” He asked Sugawara who just nodded before continuing their order: “And I will have beef as well with the creamy mushrooms and also the steak fries. Thank you,” he handed over his menu to the waiter. 

“This is a really good wine,” Sugawara said to finally break the silence. 

“Yes, it is a really good wine indeed. But we are not here to talk about wine, are we? So tell me about you. Where are you from? You are definitely not from Tokyo, that I can tell,” Kuroo smirked, looking Sugawara in his eyes. 

“No, actually, I’m from a small town in Miyagi but coming here has been my dream since I can remember. Hopefully I’ll be able to remain here after I finish the university – well, if I can keep the job, that is,” he laughed. 

Kuroo furrowed his brows. “Why wouldn’t you keep the job? Are they giving you trouble there? As far as I know you did pretty well the last time, my father was very impressed, even told the manager that all the other waiters should aim to be like you. Did something happen?” 

“Ah, no, nothing happened. It was my own stupid mistake, I just didn’t realize something but it shouldn’t be a problem anymore. Don’t worry, I’ll do everything to keep the job you helped me to get. I am really grateful,” Sugawara tried to brush it off, but Kuroo didn’t budge. 

“Please, now that I know that something has happened you can’t just… not tell me. Unfortunately, I am a very curious man,” he chuckled. 

The younger boy blushed again, dropping his gaze. “I have a little problem with the place I’m staying at, it really… smells. It’s an old building and the carpet, the curtains, everything reeks of beer and cigarettes and it just can’t be aired. And apparently my uniform smelled bad, it had to catch the smell when I washed it. As I said, it was stupid.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. Why don’t you find some other place?”

“I hope I will, depends on the money I get from the part-time job. This was all I could afford at the time.” 

It felt strange to confess something like that in front of his rich companion, but he has learned a long time ago that doing your best to earn money is nothing to be ashamed of. “But enough about me. I don’t know anything about you. Did you not attend university?” 

“No,” Kuroo shook his head and took a sip of the wine. “I’ve thought about it for a little while but then I just started working under my father so there was no need. Thankfully for this I don’t need a special education, just my charms and persuasive skills,” he winked at Sugawara.

“Oh, what is your father’s company doing?” 

Kuroo just rolled his eyes, putting on the most exhausted expression he could muster. “Would you allow me to tell you next time? I’ve been working so hard for the past couple of days I don’t even want to think about it. How about books, do you read?” he quickly changed the topic of the conversation. It struck Sugawara really weird, the way he brushed off the topic of his job so fast and he remembered the talk with Oikawa before he assured himself once again that Oikawa’s yakuza theory was just stupid. 

-

They were sitting in the car again, both pleasantly fed and slightly tipsy from the wine. The steaks were absolutely delicious and Sugawara almost cried when he put the meat in his mouth. He hasn’t eaten anything that amazing for such a long time and Kuroo almost burst out laughing when he saw his orgasmic face. They had a good time and the younger boy wasn’t really sure how to hint that he didn’t really want for the night to end just yet, but maybe he didn’t have to. They passed the turn towards his apartment. 

“Wait, I thought you’d drop me off…” he said, confused. 

Kuroo, however, just smirked and told him to wait and see. Maybe he planned more than a dinner for this date, a wave of excitement washing over Sugawara’s body. Even though it wasn’t proper, he was getting unbearably horny. The presence of smug, sexy older boy was intoxicating. 

Finally the car stopped in front of a tall building, Kuroo got out and opened the door for Sugawara. 

“Where are we?” Sugawara asked, but Kuroo just took his hand and dragged him inside. The hall of the house was incredible, white marble everywhere, but the younger couldn’t really focus on any of that. All his attention went to the slender fingers intertwined with his own, the feeling of skin to skin contact. Kuroo stopped and pressed the lift button, the door opened and they got in. Sugawara’s face was completely red as he tried not to look at the other boy, who pressed the button to one of the highest floors. 

“Welcome to my home,” Kuroo announced when he opened the door. 

The apartment was massive. There was a huge kitchen to his left, a dining table for 8 people next to the giant window he could see a view all the lights in the dark of the night Tokyo. There was a giant black couch and a low, glass table and everything looked so incredibly luxurious. Sugawara felt so out of place, like he was too poor and dirty to even set a foot into such place. 

“This is… incredible,” he took off his shoes and took a few steps, not being able to take his eyes off the timeless minimalistic style. It was exactly how he wished he could live – clean, functional, but spacious. 

“Thank you,” Kuroo chuckled and went to the right opening the second door on the left. “Come look at this,” he stepped inside and Sugawara followed. It was obviously the guest room as the bed didn’t have the sheets on and all the shelves were completely empty. There was a table with drawers and a chair and a big, built in wardrobe. 

“This looks,” Sugawara cleared his throat, “nice…?” He wasn’t really sure what the Kuroo was implying or why was he showing him the room. 

“This was supposed to be the guest room, but quite frankly it hasn’t been used once. So if you want to get out of that old apartment of yours, you are free to come live here,” he leaned against the doorframe and beckoned towards the room. 

The younger froze at the spot. Has he actually just been offered to live in such an amazing place? His first instinct was to shout ‘Yes!’ and throw himself around Kuroo’s neck, but the question of rent stopped him. “How much…?” 

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t charge you rent, that would be just stupid as this room is always completely empty. Let’s say we’d half the energies? What do you say? If you need a little more convincing, go look into the bathroom,” he pointed towards the doors across and Sugawara almost ran there, opening the door to reveal a spacious bathroom with a huge shower and counter, the tiles in a dark grey shade. His eyes sparkled, but quickly snapped back into reality.

“Kuroo, this all looks amazing, but I’m not sure about this. You’ve done so much for me already and… this is all so above my standard. I would feel wrong living here,” he closed the bathroom door and slowly walked into the living room. 

“Sugawara, wait,” Kuroo gently grabbed his shoulder and turned the younger boy towards him. “This apartment is great, but I’m not using it as much as it deserves. I’ve barely ever touched the kitchen since moving in. You said you were looking for a different place so why not accept this? You say it’s above your standard? I think it fits you just fine. And also,” he ran his fingers over Sugawara’s cheek. “I would love for you to stay here. I want to help you. Please, let me.” 

The air between them almost sparkled with electricity, the attraction nearly undeniable. Sugawara couldn’t help but lean slightly into the touch and Kuroo lowered his head, softly brushing their lips together. A wave of fondness swelled in Sugawara’s chest and he closed the distance, crashing their mouths together. 

Kuroo’s arms wrapped around his smaller frame and pulled him closer, gently tugging at his lower lip with his teeth before he slipped his tongue in. Sugawara moaned softly, sliding his hands over Kuroo’s body, taking off his black suit jacket before Kuroo followed and soon enough, they were on the couch, Sugawara straddling the black haired man, fingers tangled in his hair, enjoying the hungry kisses and bites all over his neck, feeling the cold fingers unbuttoning his shirt. 

“Please, move here with me. You taste so sweet I don’t think I will ever have enough of you.” 

“Yes,” Sugawara breathed out. There could be no other answer than that. “Yes, I will move in, Kuroo.”


	4. Chapter 4

It’s been 4 days since Sugawara moved in Kuroo’s luxurious apartment. His room still looked quite empty as he didn’t have that many things, but it felt good. When he opened the window he could actually smell the fresh air and the mattress did wonders for his stiff back. It was so good that he missed his first class the day after he first slept there because of how well he slept. The location of the apartment was another amazing thing, as it was ultimately closer to both his workplace and his university. His relationship with Kuroo, however, didn’t progress much during those days, mainly because Kuroo really didn’t spend much time at home. They did exchange kisses here and there, not entirely able to pretend that nothing happened, but also not completely in the zone to do much more than that. 

“Are you kidding me?” was all Oikawa managed to say when Sugawara mentioned moving in with Kuroo. It was absolutely clear from his expression that he didn’t approve in the slightest, but Sugawara just shrugged and sipped on his coffee. In the end he didn’t need to explain himself, even though he wished Oikawa would see that Kuroo was pretty much his saviour. “You moved in him into his incredibly luxurious apartment just like that? It seems a little too convenient that you need a job and he knows of one, you are looking for a new place and he has a free room in his apartment, don’t you think?”

“Hey, that is mean. He’s just trying to help, what is wrong with that? I know that you don’t really like him, but then you’ve never met him. How can you judge him on just hearing about him?”

“Because he’s obviously hiding something from you and I don’t like it. Did you ask him about his job?” 

“I did,” admitted Sugawara, even though he felt like what he was about to say now would only strengthen Oikawa’s suspicion. “He said he didn’t want to think about work when he didn’t need to and quite frankly I don’t blame him. We were on a date, why would he want to talk about his work?”

Oikawa looked like he really fought the urge to shake Sugawara by his shoulders. “You only asked him what his job is. I don’t think you wanted him to explain everything to the details. I am telling you he is sketchy and you should be really careful.” 

“Okay, I’m done,” Sugawara exclaimed louder than he probably intended to. “Want to come over? I want you to meet him so you don’t have to say things like that without any actual proof. He is really nice, you’ll see.” 

“Yes, yes I want to meet him. I need to make sure he’s not some psycho who will murder you in your sleep since you are so obviously blinded by the fact that you’re into him to see clearly. If he still feels like a maniac at the end of the day, I’m taking you home with me whether you want to or not.” 

Sugawara started laughing at that second. He really wanted to be mad at Oikawa, for saying all those things about Kuroo, but at the same time it was hilarious how over-protective he was. He was so happy that Oikawa bumped into him that first day, having a friend like that was probably priceless. 

“Stop laughing you baboon, I’m worrying about you and you find it hilarious, well thank you for that,” the brown haired boy pretended to be bitter about it, but in the end laughed as well. 

“No, I thank you, mom. So, when are you free?”

-

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Oikawa said after he walked into the building, looking around the entrance hall, noting all the marble. “Okay, maybe I start to understand why you moved in if just the hall looks like this.” 

By the time they got into the lift, Sugawara really started feeling nervous. When he asked Kuroo the day before if he could bring over a friend, he got told that it wasn’t really something he’d have to ask about, but for a second he felt like he saw a look of disapproval in his eyes. Then, however, Kuroo said that if he didn’t mind he’d like to meet Oikawa as Sugawara mentioned him before, therefore easing his mind about how he’d get him to come home earlier without feeling like a housewife waiting for her husband to come home from work. But still, he had a feeling that the two wouldn’t exactly get along. When he opened the door to the flat, he eased a little. Kuroo wasn’t home yet, that meant he could relax a little before the big confrontation. 

“Wow,” Oikawa reminded Sugawara of himself the way he first reacted to the apartment. “Okay, that’s it. I’m moving in too, hope you don’t mind being the big spoon.”

“Ha ha,” Sugawara took off his shoes and went to his room, Oikawa quickly following. 

“I don’t even know what to say. This is incredible,” the brown haired boy peeked into the huge closet before he put his bag down next to the chest of drawers. “The bathroom?” 

Sugawara pointed to the door across and Oikawa almost ran there, looking like Alice in Wonderland. “I would take everything back. Everything. This entire place is so incredibly amazing - how old did you say he is? 21? Where is he getting the money to be able to live like this?”

“Maybe from his father? I don’t know and frankly I don’t care. I am happy I am out of that nasty smelly place,” Sugawara sat onto his bed, feeling tired of constantly having to explain. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t wondering about these things as well, but he refused to believe Kuroo was doing something bad. 

Oikawa sat next to Sugawara before he just laid down, almost melting into the mattress. “This bed is so good,” he murmured before taking a deep breath. “I hope you know I’m not trying to be a dick just for no reason, I really care.” 

“I know,” Sugawara lay back as well and for a while. It was obvious that Oikawa didn’t do it just to be mean, but he still hoped it would somehow work out and he wouldn’t have to listen to the constant warnings all the time. 

The keys rattled in the front door and they both quickly sat up, Sugawara shooting up from the bed like he was just caught cheating even though first, he wasn’t even touching Oikawa, and second, the wasn’t even in a relationship with Kuroo. Still he felt a pang of guilt when he opened the door of his bedroom and walked out to greet his flatmate. 

“Oh, hi,” Kuroo greeted him, tugging him closer for a kiss, but Sugawara stopped him. 

“Yesterday I told you a friend of mine was coming, right? Well he’s here so if we could leave this for later..?” he stepped away just in time for Oikawa to come out of the room. 

“Kuroo, this is Oikawa, my friend from university. Oikawa, this is Kuroo.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Kuroo extended his hand and smiled, even though Sugawara had the feeling his eyes remained cold. 

“Likewise,” Oikawa shook Kuroo’s hand, reciprocating the cold, fake smile. “Sugawara’s told me much about you.” 

“Did he?” Kuroo chuckled and let go of Oikawa. “Hope he hasn’t been saying bad things about me. Want a beer? Sugawara?” he pointed to the six pack on the counter. 

Both boys nodded and walked over to the couch. “Your apartment is quite impressive. You live well for not being much older than we are. Any career tips for us lowly peasants?” Oikawa asked with a smile before reaching for one of the cans Kuroo placed on the low glass table. 

“Oikawa..?” Sugawara looked at him with a warning. This was definitely not what he expected from him, like some kind of interrogation. 

“What? This is unbelievable, if he’s got some advice I’d love to hear it.” 

“It’s okay, Sugawara. I have to admit I got lucky, my father runs a business so he employs me, but don’t think I get anything for free. I have to work for everything like everyone else. So I don’t think my answer will surprise you when I say just work hard and take as many opportunities, no matter how risky they may seem,” Kuroo answered politely, but Sugawara could see anger in his eyes. Oikawa was definitely pushing all the wrong buttons. 

“Oh, what is your father’s business?” 

Kuroo stayed silent for couple of seconds, taking a sip of his beer before he leaned back. “I don’t see how that is your concern?” 

Oikawa smirked as if whatever game he was playing was going exactly how he wanted. Sugawara, however, didn’t even touch his drink, looking from Kuroo to Oikawa, not knowing what to do. This was ridiculous and on one hand, he wanted to be incredibly angry at his friend but at the same time he was really curious. It was tearing him in two, so he just stayed silent. 

“Just curious, that’s all. If you want to keep it to yourself that’s fine by me, Mr. Businessman son,” Oikawa chuckled, but Kuroo didn’t even try to look impressed. “Well, I guess it’s time for me to go. It was nice to meet you,” he got up and walked towards the door. Kuroo didn’t even move a muscle, ignoring Oikawa completely.

Sugawara jumped from his seat, his face completely red. This turned out so much worse than he expected. “We’ll talk about this next week, Oikawa. This was not okay,” he said quietly, anger boiling in him. 

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. I got what I came here for anyways so that’s fine,” Oikawa’s eyes sparkled and he fixed his jacket, going out the door.

Once the door shut, Sugawara turned around and made a few steps, not really wanting to go too close to Kuroo. “Kuroo, I’m sorry. I didn’t know he would be so… inquisitive.” 

The black haired boy just loosened his tie with a stone cold face, keeping silent for a moment before he finally looked up. “I’m going to have to ask you not to invite your friend here again. In fact, it would be better if none of your friends visited this place, can we make an agreement like that? I know I told you that you didn’t have to ask about inviting anyone over, but I think I will have to take that back.”

Sugawara just stood there, silent. He knew well that the situation was awkward and that Oikawa was prying into his personal matters, but he didn’t expected Kuroo to be so direct with him. Still, it was Kuroo who pulled him out of the shit and he owed him, so agreeing on this one condition was nothing. Oikawa was the only friend he had in Tokyo anyways and after that scene there was no way he would ever invite him over even if Kuroo didn’t say anything. 

“Okay. I’m really sorry,” he murmured and walked into his room. There was nothing more to say, it was a disaster and even though it wasn’t really his fault, he couldn’t help but feel guilty. 

-

“Hey,” Kuroo leaned against the doorframe of Sugawara’s room. 

The grey haired boy was working hard on his coursework to forget the awkwardness of the situation earlier, cramming as much knowledge as he could before his shifts started the following day again. “Hey,” he looked up, smiling at the black haired boy. He was wearing a black sweatpants, and a black tank top with a simple dark blue apron over it. “What are you cooking?” 

“Spaghetti Bolognese. Will you eat with me?” His voice was soft and eyes warm, like nothing even happened. He approached the boy, running his fingers through Sugawara’s hair gently. “You’ve been working hard, you deserve a break.” 

Sugawara leaned into his touch slightly, the tightness in his chest uncoiling. “Please. Spaghetti sounds amazing.” 

They sat at the dining table, digging into the pure deliciousness Kuroo cooked. “This is absolutely amazing!” 

Kuroo chuckled. “Thank you. I haven’t cooked anything in a really long time and I’ve never made Spaghetti Bolognese before, haven’t eaten them for six years actually. So I’m really happy you like it.” 

“Six years? How do you remember it so exactly?”

Kuroo paused for a few seconds before he smiled, twirling the spaghetti around his fork. “It was my friend’s most favourite meal and the last time we ate it together.” 

“Ah, I see.” Sugawara really wanted to ask more, but learned his lesson for the day. “Well, it’s amazing.” 

“Hey, I just wanted to make sure you’re not angry about what I said earlier. I didn’t want to be mean or anything, but if there’s something I hate it’s someone prying into my privacy, especially someone I don’t know. And quite frankly that Oikawa guy was just rude. I’m not saying it’s your fault, of course, you couldn’t have known he would behave how he did,” he smiled at the younger boy reassuringly. 

Sugawara put down the fork and lifted his hands defensively. “I am not angry, please, trust me. I am really sorry that he acted like he did, I don’t quite understand it myself. It won’t happen again.” 

“Good,” Kuroo flashed him another smile. “You should be careful about him. You wouldn’t want him to influence you in a bad way, you know. I don’t have a good feeling about him.” 

“What are you talking about? Oikawa is nice.” 

“Hey, all I’m saying is - just be careful, okay? I don’t know you for long but – I care about you. And,” Kuroo put down the fork, taking Sugawara’s left hand, pressing his lips against his knuckles. “I wouldn’t want you to get swept by bad people.”


	5. Chapter 5

It’s been four days since Sugawara saw Oikawa. The longer he thought about that, the more he was angry at his friend for being so nosey. He definitely tried to make it up for him by making Kuroo a nice breakfast and used the espresso maker that stood on the kitchen counter since the day he moved in, but by the looks of it hasn’t been used once. 

“Oh I could get used to that,” Kuroo admitted when he walked into the hall, smelling the freshly ground coffee. He sat on the high chair at the kitchen island.

“Good morning. Well, if you don’t mind me using your machine every morning, I would be happy to make coffee every day,” Sugawara smiled and turned around, his breath hitching when he realized that Kuroo was shirtless. He was perfect and the younger boy just imagined himself worshiping those perfect abs. The last time they made out, Kuroo didn’t let him even slide his hands underneath the black shirt so this was the first time he witnessed the god-like body. “Here you go,” he placed the cup in front of him and hoped he wasn’t blushing too much. 

“Thank you,” he sipped and hummed in approval. “Oh that’s good. Please, feel free to use anything in this kitchen as you wish. Anyways, have classes today?” He leaned on the counter and Sugawara quickly turned around.

“Yeah, I’ve got three lectures but thankfully no work today.”

“Are you going to see that friend of yours?” 

Sugawara put down his cup and cleared his throat. The truth is he was planning to see Oikawa to tell him how pissed he was, but he didn’t want Kuroo to know. For some reason it felt almost like cheating, even though he had no reason to. Even though they kissed here and there, they never really talked about what their relationship was. “Um - No, I am not planning on seeing him.”

“Good.” He finished the coffee and got up, going around the kitchen island to step behind Sugawara, pressing against his back. “I don’t want him to snatch you away from me. He might start making eyes on you and maybe he would make you fall for him. Who knows what I’d have to do then to get you back,” he bent his head, kissing the younger’s neck. 

A shiver ran down Sugawara’s spine. “He’s not my type,” he whispered. 

“Hmm, really?” Kuroo purred into his ear, nipping at his earlobe. “Am I your type?”

“Yes,” he breathed out, feeling himself getting way more excited than he should before his lectures. 

“We will talk about this later, okay? You should start getting ready for school. You don’t want to be late,” he stepped away, snatching a slice of cucumber from the plate. 

“Ah, y – yes, you’re right,” Sugawara quickly glanced into Kuroo’s dark eyes before averting his look and quickly walking away into the bathroom to splash his beet red face with cold water. It was official. He was definitely falling for Kuroo and he felt like maybe, his feelings might be reciprocated for once. He promised they would talk about it later and with that promise on mind Sugawara got ready and went out the door. 

-

Sugawara approached the brown haired boy who sat at the table in the corner of the café, taking the place opposite him.

“Oh, hi. I almost though you wouldn’t come,” Oikawa flashed him a smile that Sugawara didn’t return.

“Well I almost didn’t. But then I thought we should talk this out. So talk. What the fuck was that about?” 

“Look, I am sorry that I was rude. But people like him? It’s better to just be direct. But you saw how he reacted. Do you finally see that there is something really sketchy about him?” 

Rage bubbled in Sugawara, so he took couple of deep breaths. “He’s a private person. That’s all. Oikawa, you’re a good friend, but if you don’t stop saying shit about Kuroo - ”

“Ah fuck, you’re falling in love with him,” Oikawa interrupted him, rubbing his eyes. 

“What? How is this your business if I am or if I’m not? He helped me when I needed it most and I am so grateful. And he’s sexy and he’s nice to me. But maybe he was right and I shouldn’t talk to you anymore if you’re going to be like this.” 

Oikawa furrowed his brows. “He told you not to talk to me?” 

Sugawara didn’t reply. Now that Oikawa said it, it did sound a bit ridiculous. 

“I’m sorry, but if you don’t see that he’s not a good person, I can’t help you. But if you snap out of there, I promise I will help you. You can move in with me before you find something else.” 

“I like him. I don’t want to move anywhere else,” Sugawara stood up and put his bag over his shoulder. “When you stop being paranoid and accept that I have the right to be happy with a person of my choosing, let me know. You’re my friend, but I will not let you insult my boyfriend.” 

“Boyfriend?” Oikawa spat out, but Sugawara was already walking away. Maybe Kuroo was right and Oikawa may have feeling for him. “Hey, stop!” the brown haired boy ran after him grabbing him by the wrist. “I don’t want you to be pissed, I am just worried about you, do you understand that? If you want to be angry then by all means feel free to do so.” Sugawara stopped, allowing Oikawa to look him in the face. “I won’t talk about him anymore, okay? If you ever feel like I was right, I’ll be here. But I don’t want us to stop being friends.” 

“I don’t want that either,” Sugawara admitted, “but I need some time. I’ll be in touch,” he freed his hand and walked away to attend the last lecture. 

-

After his lessons ended, Sugawara rushed home. Maybe as of that day, he would have a boyfriend and that excited him. He would stop feeling so shit about ogling at Kuroo every time he had the chance, because he would finally have justified reason to. However, all his excitement disappeared when he unlocked the door only to find the apartment empty. He took off his shoes and walked to his room, putting the bag next to the table. 

_I have to leave for a few days on business._  
_I’m sorry, we’ll talk after I come back._  
_Hope you enjoy these.  
_\- K.__

____

Read the note placed on the box of chocolates Sugawara found on his bed. He was a little disappointed, but considering it was for his work, he had to understand. He took out his phone and contemplated sending Kuroo a message, but scrolled through his contacts and pressed the ‘call’ button instead. 

____

“Hi mom,” he said, climbing onto the bed. He needed to hear the warm, familiar voice to know that everything was okay. 

____

“Oh, honey. Finally. I thought you had a lot of work so I didn’t call, but I’ve been waiting every day. How are you, Koushi?” she asked in a worried voice. 

____

Sugawara smiled, “I’m fine, mom. So much has been happening I didn’t have the time and I just needed to figure out some things. How are you and dad? Are you – okay? I mean… you know,” he hinted at their financial situation. If things were bad he needed to know to help them. 

____

“We are fine, don’t worry about us,” she said, but her voice betrayed her. She was never too good at lying, especially to Sugawara. 

____

“Mom, out with it.” 

____

“Apparently the bank refuses to wait any longer. So we’ve given them almost all the money we had and I found myself another job. Your father doesn’t want to talk about it, but I feel like he is not telling me the whole truth. He’s started looking really worn down, but he doesn’t talk to me no matter how hard I try. I’m scared for him, Koushi.”

____

Sugawara felt his heart squeeze. “Mom, why didn’t you tell me anything? I deserve to know about these things,” he sighed, trying to keep his voice calm. “Do you need me to come back for a weekend?” At that moment he decided to send them all the leftover money he’d have from the job after paying Kuroo and setting aside something for groceries. 

____

“Honey, this is our mess and you shouldn’t be involved in this. We’d love for you to come home, but maybe now is not the best time. Maybe in a few weeks, alright? And don’t even think of sending us money, we will manage somehow. And about your father – I will get him to tell me the truth. Don’t worry. But please, tell me about you. How have you been doing?” 

____

He rubbed his eyes with his left hand and lied down. “I moved to a different place. A friend of mine offered me a free room in his apartment and I took it, it’s so much nicer than the first one and it’s cheaper. It’s the friend who helped me to find the job, you know.” 

____

“Ah, that is so nice of him. Koushi, you sound… different, talking about him. Do you like him?” 

____

She could always detect these things, same as he always knew when she was trying to keep something from him. “I do, mom. And I think he likes me back,” he smiled. She was always accepting and understanding about her son’s sexuality and probably knew he was gay before he himself realized. “But Oikawa doesn’t like him so we had a fight today. What do I do, mom? I think they really hate each other but I don’t want to lose neither of them.” 

____

He heard his mom sigh and she was silent for a little while. “Well, this is difficult. Just don’t force them to try work it out. If they want to, they will, if they don’t, they would end up taking it out on you. Set yourself boundaries and see them separately, that is probably the only thing I can tell you. I’ve never been in this situation. But honey, I believe you will figure it out.” 

____

“I will try. And you will try to talk some sense into dad, alright? We need to figure out what is really happening so we can help him. Mom, you know I will send you the money whether you like it or not, right? Let me help you, okay? I’m earning more than I need anyways.”

____

She didn’t budge but neither did he. After couple more minutes they said their goodbyes and Sugawara put down the phone, eyeing the box of chocolates. It looked quite expensive and he couldn’t resist opening it and putting one in his mouth. He groaned over the taste of nougat and crushed the hazelnut between his teeth. As he started to contemplate a quick nap when he heard the keys in the door. 

____

Sugawara shot up and paused for a few seconds. Kuroo did write that he had to leave for a few days, but maybe he forgot something so he basically ran out of his room to see his housemate. But the one who unlocked the door definitely wasn’t Kuroo. 

____

“Oh,” was the only thing the small boy said as he saw Sugawara. He paused for a few seconds, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open, almost as if seeing Sugawara there shocked him tremendously. “Se – ehm,” he quickly regained his composure and closed the main door behind him. 

____

“Um, can I help you?” 

____

The boy looked younger, his messy hair really outgrown bleached blonde and a deep purple circles underneath his eyes. “I’m Kuroo’s friend. Is he not here?” he proceeded to take off his shoes and put his bag onto one of the kitchen stools. He acted like he was home and Sugawara didn’t know how he felt about that. 

____

“No, he’s away on a business,” he shook his head and took a deep breath. “I don’t mean to be rude but can I at least know who you are or what are you doing here?” 

____

“I’m Kenma. Kuroo told me I could stay here whenever I need to, so sorry for intruding,” he shrugged a little as if he didn’t _really_ care if he was in fact intruding or not, but there was something about the way he kept eyeing Sugawara. 

____

“I’m Sugawara. I live here now with Kuroo. Well, I don’t mind but I am staying in the guest room, so – “ he didn’t know how to approach the subject. Was Kenma Kuroo’s lover? The entire situation was just absurd. 

____

“That’s okay, I’ll just sleep in Kuroo’s room then. Don’t worry, I won’t get in your way, I’ll be working most of the time anyways,” he smiled a little and went to Kuroo’s room.

____

Sugawara walked into his room to try to call Kuroo, unsuccessfully. He typed a message instead and reply came almost immediately. Kenma was who he claimed to be and apparently he shouldn’t bother with him. As he read the message, he realized that maybe the presence of Kuroo’s friend wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Maybe he would get to find out more about his potential partner by a sneaky innocent ‘interrogation’ of Kenma. And he would definitely ask the boy about the face he made when he saw him, there had to be something more to it. But that was something for the next day, today he had to focus on school work, he decided as he walked towards the espresso maker.

____


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma says things he shouldn't and the relationship between Suga and Kuroo progresses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! No, I didn't die or drop this fic, had to take a mental health and school break.
> 
> But! After two months I finally bring you a new chapter! It isn't as long as the previous ones were and the writing might be a bit sloppy as I didn't think of this story for so long. I promise next chapter will be better and longer! :)

Sugawara stirred the meat in the pan, biting his lip nervously. It’s been two days since Kenma arrived and finally Sugawara gathered the courage to offer him dinner and ask some questions about Kuroo. Guilt settled in his stomach because this was exactly the reason why he fought with Oikawa and now he was doing the same thing. He would apologize to him later; it didn’t feel right being angry at him, not when he was about to do what he was about to do. 

“Kenma?” Sugawara knocked on the door of Kuroo’s bedroom, his hand shaking a bit. The truth is that he had never seen how the room looked like. “I’ve made dinner, so if you want to, there’s enough for both of us.” 

A few moments later the door opened and Sugawara got a glimpse of the inside. As far as he could see, everything in there was in white, grey and black. So Kuroo. “It’s okay, I don’t want to bother you.” 

“No, really. If it was a bother, I wouldn’t have told you. I’ve noticed you don’t eat much proper food,” Sugawara smiled and Kenma just shrugged, walking over to Kuroo’s bathroom to wash his hands while Sugawara put the stir fry on the plates. 

The blonde boy looked like he was about to melt when he put the first bite into his mouth. “It’s incredible.” 

“Thank you,” Sugawara laughed. “What do you even do as a job? If you don’t mind me asking?” 

“I help to develop game apps. Had a few meetings here in Tokyo and tomorrow I’m leaving for New York.” 

“Wow, that sounds really interesting. Especially for someone your age,” Sugawara shook his head, realizing that might have come across a bit rude. “I’m sorry. I mean, you don’t look much older than I am and I can’t imagine flying overseas for work.”

“I’m 20. I went to high school with Kuroo, one year above me, but we’ve known each other since we were children, didn’t live too far from each other. I’ve been just lucky, always playing games taught me something, though Kuroo always said I should stop and start doing something else,” Kenma shrugged. 

Sugawara’s heart started beating a little faster at the mention of Kuroo. “So you’ve known Kuroo for some time. Have you two ever..?” 

Kenma choked a little and started coughing. “No – no, we never..” he shook his head. “I mean I knew he was gay, but… no, don’t worry.” He digged through the stir fry for another piece of meat. 

“How was Kuroo as a child? Was he always so confident?” 

“There were times he wasn’t like he is now. But listen, if you expect me to tell you everything about Kuroo, you should know I won’t. There are things Kuroo doesn’t want anybody to know and I’m not here to spill his secrets,” he looked Sugawara into his eyes with a stern look. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“But if you want my advice about Kuroo, let me tell you one thing. Move out as soon as you can. It won’t be good if you stay here. I know things may go well now, but he is not the right person for you. Move away before you fall in love with him. Everything will be easier for you that way.”

Sugawara paused, his heart squeezing inside his chest. “What do you mean?” 

Kenma put down the chopsticks and got up. “Thank you for the meal. But I think it would be best if I left today rather than tomorrow. Just trust me in this. Kuroo has gone through some stuff in the past that he will never forget, things he will never get over. Having you here will make it only more complicated. I don’t want to be a dick, ruining the promise of a wonderful relationship, but it’s for your own good.” 

Tears welled in Sugawara’s eyes. For whatever reason hearing this made him so angry and sad at the same time. “Thank you for your concern,” he said after clearing his throat. “But I think I can tell for myself what is for my own good.” 

Keys rattled in the entrance door and Kuroo walked in, pausing when he saw both of them staring at him. “What is going on?” he furrowed his brows and took of his shoes and coat. The jacket of his suit was unbuttoned and the tie undone, sticking out of his pocket. Sugawara felt his mouth go dry at the sight of tired, dishevelled Kuroo. There was something incredibly sexy about him and all he wanted to do was sink to his knees and worship the man ‘till the next morning.

“Nothing. I’m going to pack, I have to leave now,” Kenma shook his head crossed the apartment to the bedroom, to which Kuroo quickly followed him with an angry look in his eyes.

Sugawara put down his chopsticks and started cleaning up. Whatever was happening, it wasn’t good. That theory was only confirmed when he started hearing shouting from the bedroom. He knew he shouldn’t, already he could get into trouble for trying to get some information out of Kenma, but still he turned off the tap and stepped closer to the door. 

“What the fuck have you done? What have you told him?” Kuroo growled angrily. 

“I swear I haven’t told him anything. Just that he should move out. Kuroo, you can’t do this. He doesn’t deserve this – whatever you are doing.” 

“What do you think you know about what I’m doing?”

“I know well what you are doing. Kuroo, I’ve been there. I know what you see in him. But you need to let go.” 

“Get the fuck out. Pack up your things and go. I don’t want to see you talking to him ever again,” Kuroo walked out of the bedroom and Sugawara quickly started cleaning up again before he walked into the kitchen. 

“Hi,” he smiled at him and wrapped his arms around his waist, kissing him briefly. “I’m sorry about this. He’s always had overactive imagination so whatever he told you, don’t pay much attention to it,” Kuroo nipped at his earlobe softly. 

-

Kenma left without even looking at Sugawara or Kuroo, simply just put on his shoes and jacket and he was gone. Uncomfortable silence filled the apartment, so Sugawara offered to heat up the stir fry for Kuroo, who gladly accepted. 

“I’ve missed your cooking,” he admitted after finishing the plate. 

Sugawara blushed a little, and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Oh come on, I believe you’ve visited many fancy restaurants with some amazing chefs.”

“Yes, I have. But I still like your cooking the most,” Kuroo got up and placed the plate on the counter into the sink. “But more than that, I’ve missed you,” he smirked and pulled Sugawara closer, wrapping his arms around him. “Would you like to take a shower with me?” 

“S-shower? With you?” he stiffened a little. They made out pretty intensely a few times already, but they never went further than that. The thought of Kuroo’s naked, wet body excited him immensely. “Sounds.. good,” he bit his lip. 

“You are so sexy when you do that,” he grabbed his hand and pulled him into his own bathroom. 

Sugawara’s eyes sparkled when he saw the beautiful black tiles and silver accessories. Kuroo definitely had an amazing interior design style. He slid his warm hands around Sugawara’s middle and grabbed the edge of his t-shirt, pulled it over his head and dropped it on the floor. The younger reached to the buttons on his shirt and started undoing them one by one with his trembling fingers. In a few short moment they were both naked and stepping into the shower. 

“You look nervous,” Kuroo smirked, brushing his fingers over Sugawara’s cheek before he reached over to turn on the shower. 

“I haven’t… you know, in a long time,” he stared into Kuroo’s eyes, not wanting to look down just yet, but he already felt himself get half hard. 

Kuroo pulled him into a kiss, caressing his arms softly. “I won’t force you to do anything you are not comfortable with. We can just leave it at kiss and cuddle if you want to. Still, something tells me you may want a little more?” he glanced down for a second before smiling. “I can help you if you want me to?” 

“Just kiss me some more for now,” Sugawara breathed and closed the distance between them, feeling the hot water trickle down his back. It felt amazing, no clothes separating them. He slid his hands onto Kuroo’s stomach, tracing the hard muscles with his fingertips. 

“Please,” Kuroo breathed, tugging at Sugawara’s bottom lip with his teeth. 

“Please what?” 

“Please…” he repeated and grabbed Sugawara’s hand and guided it lower. 

Moans filled the bathroom as they slowly rubbed each other. Kuroo pressed Sugawara against the wall, taking his other hand and placing them onto the tangle of their fingers. “Rub them together, please,” he breathed deeply and Sugawara did, gasping at the feeling of Kuroo’s big, strong hands grabbing his ass, pulling him closer. Rubbing a finger over Sugawara’s entrance he brought the younger to the edge.

“You are mine, understand? Mine,” he growled before all the muscles in his body tensed and a deep growl escaped his throat.

-

“Sleep with me,” Kuroo whispered into Sugawara’s ear after they got out of the shower, drying his hair. The younger almost purred how good it felt, the long fingers softly massaging his scalp. “Please. I want to hold onto you all night.” 

“Alright,” he breathed, smiling. “Just let me grab some shirt from my –“ 

“No,” Kuroo grabbed him and pulled him across the hall into his bedroom. “I want to see you wear mine.” 

Sugawara’s jaw dropped at the sight of the giant bedroom. It was possibly twice as big as his bedroom. Black wardrobes on the right side and a giant bookcase dividing the rest of the room from the biggest bed he has ever seen with dark red sheets. It screamed ‘Kuroo’. 

“Here, wear this,” Kuroo handed him black t-shirt that was definitely too loose for Sugawara. 

“At least let me go get underwear?” he blushed, pulling on the hem of the shirt to cover himself.

Instead, Kuroo lightly slapped his butt and pushed him towards the bed. “Get to bed, love. Where is the fun in covering up your lovely ass?” 

Sugawara climbed into the bed, the touch of the soft sheets on his bare legs making him relax almost instantly. Soon enough, the bigger body settled behind him. They were going to sleep together. Actually sleep together. That was something he most definitely didn’t expect to happen in the near future. 

“Whatever Kenma told you… promise me to forget it,” Kuroo murmured and pulled Sugawara closer to him.

“He told me to move out. But I don’t want to do that. I want to stay here, with you.” 

“I won’t let you go anywhere. I told you, you are mine.”

-

It must have been a few hours before Sugawara woken up. It was still dark and for a few seconds he couldn’t remember where he was, until he turned and saw Kuroo lying next to him, his head twitching and breathing heavy. 

“Ei – t …” he mumbled. “Eita…” 

Sugawara’s heart stopped and cold ran over his spine. He didn’t know who this Eita was, he still couldn’t help but feel a spike of jealousy dig into his chest.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo helps Sugawara immensely with his family problems, even though it means Sugawara has to lie to his mom.

It’s been two weeks since Sugawara started sleeping in Kuroo’s bedroom. He felt safe in his arms, comforted by the thought that he meant something to him. Whatever reason Kenma had for thinking that Kuroo wasn’t the right person for him, he was now convinced that it was wrong. It felt right and it felt good. He still woke up during the night, hearing Kuroo mutter ‘Eita’, but didn’t know how to ask. Considering how uneasy his sleep was, it must have not been good dreams or memories or whatever it was. 

“Who is Eita?” he asked one morning during breakfast. He just couldn’t bear it anymore, not knowing whose name he was hearing over and over again.

Kuroo paused and slowly put down the coffee. “Where have you heard this? Did Kenma tell you something?” 

“No, no. He didn’t tell me anything. You are… muttering. In your sleep. But if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay. I just – “

“You’re right,” he cut Sugawara off. “I don’t want to talk about it. Never mention that name again. And if my muttering bothers you that much, feel free to sleep in your own bed. But that name is off limits,” he got up and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

Whatever it was, it was dark and painful and he didn’t want to make Kuroo feel that. No matter how curious he would be, the name was off limits. That was the least he could do for Kuroo’s hospitality, no matter how much it ate him inside.

-

“Hi mom,” Sugawara picked up the phone, putting down the textbook. He’s been studying for the past three hours and completely forgot to call her like he usually did. 

“Hi honey. How are you?” she asked cheerfully, but he could already recognize the slight tremble in her voice. Something wasn’t right. 

“I’m okay. How about you? And dad?” 

She paused for a few seconds before quietly admitting: “Koushi, I think your dad has been lying to us and I don’t know what to do.” 

Sugawara got up, and started pacing. “What do you mean lying?”

“Well,” she took a deep breath. “He started drinking a lot and last night he came home with bruises. I have a feeling he didn’t really borrow the money from the bank like he said. What if he borrowed from some bad people? I’m scared they will harm him if we don’t do something.” 

All the blood froze in his veins. He already suspected something like this, but never imagined it could actually be true. He’s heard about people like that, lending money when banks won’t and charging ridiculously high interests and getting violent when they don’t get paid back. “I’m sending you all the money I have right now. It’s pay day next week, so I will send you more then. I’m gonna take up more shifts. Mom, you have to let me help you now. If what you’re saying is true, then dad might be in trouble.” 

“I’m sorry I have to put you through this. But I can’t do it by myself and dad just doesn’t want to talk about it. I think he is really ashamed about everything. All I know is that he still owes nearly 25 million yen, he admitted that when he was drunk.” 

His stomach dropped. “Mom, don’t apologize. I’m grateful you told me, now we can deal with it together. I will take a semester off if I have to and find a second or a third job, we have to pay it off as soon as possible.” 

“He’s home. I will call you tomorrow when he’s out, alright honey? I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, mom. Take care of him. Bye,” he hung up the phone and sat on the edge of the bed. 

The full impact of what his mother just told him didn’t seem to hit him yet. Even if he took up another job or two, it would take years before he would be able to put that much money together. And they didn’t have that much time if whoever his father borrowed the money from was already getting violent. Suddenly it felt like he was back in the shithole he felt like he left a few weeks ago. Money has always been a problem for his family and he felt so guilty for living in such luxurious apartment, allowing himself to eat more than instant ramen and not having to worry if he would have enough for the month. If his father knew where he lived, he would probably never forgive him for letting them live in such poverty. 

-

“What’s going on?” Kuroo joined him on the balcony and lit a cigarette. 

Sugawara has been sitting there for at least an hour already, not being able to stop thinking about how to help them the best he could. A week and half passed since he found out. He sent them all the money he could, but it was still not enough. Oikawa noticed almost immediately that something was wrong, but he didn’t want to tell him details. He didn’t need anyone to pity him and he had a feeling it would be exactly what Oikawa would do. His friend had a good heart. He hated how the thoughts kept him distracted during school, the only escape he found was at work, focusing only on serving. He asked for more shifts and they gave him a few, but it was still not enough.

He looked at the black haired man, but didn’t feel the familiar wave of excitement - he was too distracted for that. “Nothing. Just family problems. I might have to take some time away from school and find another job or two, though then I would have to start paying the tuition. It’s… don’t worry about it. I will deal with it somehow,” he gave him a tired smile, propping his head on his knees. 

“Hey, let me help,” Kuroo reached and placed his hand on Sugawara’s cheek, stroking the skin with his fingers softly. “What happened?” 

Sugawara leaned into the touch before he took a deep breath, “My father borrowed money from some bad people. They already hurt him. And I’m scared that if I don’t find a way to earn a lot of money in a short amount of time, they will do much worse things,” he whispered the few last words. The weight of the situation settled in his heart and he didn’t even want to imagine the things they would be willing to do to get their money back. 

“How much?” 

“25 million yen as far as my mom knows. Might be more, she doesn’t know. He refuses to tell. She only knows this because he got drunk.”

Kuroo finished the cigarette and put the butt into the small flowerpot he used as an ashtray, then he sat into the chair next to Sugawara. “I could help you, you know?” he took his hand and intertwined their fingers. “I could give you the money you need. There is no need for you to take a break at school, especially when you’ve earned the scholarship.”

“No,” Sugawara shook his head, pulling his hand away from Kuroo’s hold. “You’ve done enough for me. This – I can’t accept this. This is my family’s mess, you shouldn’t get involved in this.”

“How about I lend it to you? Send it to your family, get away from the wrong people. You can repay me in your amazing cooking and cuddles. I’ve heard of those people. They won’t just come after your father, but soon they will start targeting your mother as well. And I don’t want that. So please, let me help you,” he looked at him with a caring look, soft smile. 

Sugawara’s heart melted for that look. Kuroo really cared about him, now he was certain. “I don’t know how my father even got the idea to take money from such people. I feel terrible now. One part tells me I should deal with it on my own, the other that what you offer is much better than what is happening now. And then I feel ashamed for even considering what you are offering. This situation is just mess,” he hid his face into his palms. He felt desperate. Ashamed. And so lost. He shouldn’t have to decide such things so early in life, but he does. 

“How would I explain getting so much money? Mom would kill me if she found out I have borrowed from someone. That is exactly how my father –“ 

“You can tell them you’ve won a lottery? I know, a great coincidence, but you know what they say. Good things happen to good people. I can transfer the money to your account immediately if you want me to. The sooner you get it over with, the better. Okay?” 

Sugawara finally looked him in the eyes, tears streaming down his face. “You know I will repay you everything, right? Plus the cooking and cuddles. I promise.” 

“I know you will,” the corners of Kuroo’s mouth curving upwards, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Come on,” he pulled the younger to his feet and wrapped his arms around him. “Everything will be okay. I promise.”

-

“Where did you get so much money?!” his mother shouted into the phone. She was torn between furious and relieved, he could tell. 

“Mom, I have tried the lottery. Somebody told me that good things happen to good people and… I guess I’m a good person. Give it to dad. Pay it off.” 

“Sugawara Koushi, I – I – “ he heard her start sobbing. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I’ve been living in fear that soon they would come and kill him. You’ve saved us, honey. I don’t know what – how we will –“ 

“Mom, it’s okay. Calm down. Everything will be fine,” a tear slid down his cheek. “I told you everything would be fine. That we will figure it out. I have to go, my shift starts in an hour. I love you, mom,” he whispered.

-

_Please call me when you’re on break._

“What happened?” Sugawara quickly dialled Kuroo’s number, worrying that something happened. He never sent him a message, so it must have been urgent.

“Love, I’m stuck at work, but I was supposed to meet up with a friend today. He has a package for me and I need it. Would you mind getting it for me after you finish work? I will tell him to wait in the park, around the bench we first met, do you remember where it is?” 

“How could I forget?” Sugawara smiled to himself. “I suppose it won’t be a problem, I’ll pick it up when I get from here. Do you know when I finish?” 

“I do. Thank you, it will really help me. I’m sorry for asking you to do this –“ 

“Kuroo. You’ve helped me so much more, this is the least I can do for you. It’s okay, I don’t mind.” 

“Alright, thank you. See you at home, love,” he hung up.

Sugawara walked towards the park, tired and achy. The shift has been brutal, but he got more than enough tips to start putting together the first instalment for Kuroo. Before, he used to get books and little spoils for himself. Suddenly it felt like he used to throw the hard earned money out of the window. He saw a middle aged man sitting on the bench; he could hardly imagine Kuroo being friends with him. 

“Hello, I’m here to pick up the package for Kuroo,” Sugawara smiled at the man, who paused for a few second with a terrified look in his eyes, before he relaxed. 

“Here it is,” was all the man said and pushed the packed envelope with something squared inside into his hand and quickly walked away. He definitely didn’t seem like Kuroo’s friend like he said, but it wasn’t Sugawara’s place to question. He quickly put the package into his bag and set off home. He could use a good hot shower and maybe a few nice back rubs Kuroo was so good at.


	8. Chapter 8

Sugawara woke up with a smile on his face. Even though he felt a little sore, he felt incredibly happy. A few days ago he finally went all the way with Kuroo and it was awesome. He was passionate lover, a bit rough but he felt like dying of pleasure every single time. He turned his head only to find the black haired man still sleeping. After many days, he finally looked peaceful. He was gorgeous. A strand of his dark hair fell over his forehead and Sugawara reached over to brush it away.

“Good morning,” Sugawara whispered, sliding his hand down onto Kuroo’s exposed chest. He would never get enough of how soft his skin felt. He wanted to remember every single curve of his muscles. 

“Morning,” Kuroo growled in return, closing his eyes once again. It seemed he didn’t wake up in a very good mood. Instead, he reached to his bedside table and grabbed a cigarette, lighting it. 

Sugawara scrunched his nose. He hated the smell of cigarettes and couldn’t understand how Kuroo could smoke in his room and what more, in his bed. He always lit one up after they finished having sex, even though Sugawara already commented on hating it. “Do you really have to?” he murmured, the good mood suddenly gone. 

“If you mind if that much, you can get up and start making breakfast?” Kuroo said as he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Sugawara had a strong urge to just wrap his arms around him and try to make him feel better, but he knew it would do exactly the opposite. He just needed his space in those times, so Sugawara did what Kuroo told him. Got up, put on a pair of underwear and a t-shirt and walked out of the bedroom to start the coffee.

After twenty minutes, Kuroo finally emerged from the room, approaching Sugawara from behind to hug him and give him a kiss, like nothing happened before. He was certainly a complicated man, but Sugawara was starting to get used to it. 

“Hey, could I ask you to pick up something again? I will be stuck in an office all day and I really need it. She’d meet you on the way to your classes so you don’t need to go out of your way,” Kuroo snatched a piece of toast and bit off the corner. 

Sugawara didn’t really ask what was in those packages he now started picking up from time to time, even though he suspected a little. Kuroo only said that it was something for work, that he didn’t like to make his friends come to the office when they didn’t necessarily need to. Since he never had to go far away, he always met the people very close to where he already was so he didn’t mind picking them up. Kuroo was a busy man after all. 

“Yeah, sure,” he smiled and put the plate with a fried eggs, bacon and some vegetables on the table. 

Kuroo sat in the chair and looked at the plate. “Tomatoes, really?” he scrunched his nose. 

“You should eat them. They are good for your health,” Sugawara stuck his tongue on him before he sat to the chair opposite and put a bit of tomato into his mouth. 

-

“Sorry I’m late,” Oikawa sat in the chair next to Sugawara, ordering cappuccino. “I got caught up with my professor. Apparently I need to do some changes in one of my papers, so annoying. And I really did my best but I guess I rushed the conclusion.” 

“It’s okay, I just got here a few minutes ago myself,” Sugawara smiled. He hasn’t seen his friend for two weeks, both have been busy with exams and papers. 

Oikawa grabbed his hand as if he had some exciting news. “Are you working today? Or tomorrow?” Sugawara just shook his head and Oikawa’s eyes sparkled. “We’re going out. What do you think? We haven’t been anywhere. And you just keep working or studying, you need to have fun. So I’m taking the matter in my own hands. What do you say?”

Sugawara opened his mouth, but closed it straight away without saying anything. The truth is the first thing that came to his mind was _No, Kuroo wouldn’t want me to go anywhere with Oikawa,_ but then he realized that his friend was right. He planned to go out with Oikawa many times, but never actually went. “Okay. Sounds great! I’ll just have to go home after school, just to drop something off but after that I’m all yours.” 

“Amazing!” Oikawa exclaimed. “I’m gonna take you to my favourite bar. You’re going to love it there!”

-

Sugawara put the package on the small table in Kuroo’s bedroom and ran into his own room to leave his bag there, taking only his phone and wallet. He took a minute to write a note to Kuroo and left it on the kitchen table. He felt that if he wrote him a message, whatever the response would be, it would make him change his mind. The realization that Kuroo had such power over him was hard, but at the same time not completely unwelcome. He was pretty sure he loved Kuroo and wanted to do anything he could to make him happy. 

“You came!” Oikawa jumped around Sugawara’s neck and hugged him tight. “I was afraid your boyfriend would keep you from coming. He needs to learn to share.” 

“He doesn’t know,” Sugawara admitted, with a smile. “But still, I would have come. So, what are we drinking?” 

Oikawa dragged him to the bar, obviously knowing the bartender. “Ushijima, mix us something good, would you be so kind?” he grinned at the tall man, who just nodded without a smile, then turned to Sugawara. “He doesn’t talk much, or smile for that matter. But his cocktails are the best you will ever have.” 

“Oh, okay,” he smiled at Ushijima and grabbed the drink he put in front of him. One sip and he could already feel the warmth spreading through his body. It was strong, but by no means bitter. “Wow, it’s incredible,” he laughed and the bartender curved the corners of his mouth slightly and bowed his head. 

“Put it on our bill, please,” Oikawa smiled before grabbing Sugawara’s hand and dragging him to the small table. 

“I can understand why you like it here. The atmosphere is great, the drink is just amazing – “

“And just wait until it fills up and people start dancing. Of course we will join, and we will dance until we don’t feel our legs anymore. You need to make up for the time you spent at home being boring,” he laughed and sipped on the drink again. 

“Can’t wait. By the way, how is your love life these days?” 

“Oh dear,” Oikawa rolled his eyes and took a good sip of the drink. “I’ve been sort of… dating you could say this one guy, but he can be so mean to me. But most of the time he is so nice, I can’t really understand why he likes to pretend I annoy him to death. But he is brilliant in bed and overall he’s really funny,” he blushed a little. 

“I would very much like to meet this guy one day. Just to see if he’s worthy of you, of course,” Sugawara said with a straight face, which made Oikawa burst with laughter.

-

He couldn’t remember how many drinks they’ve had or how long they actually spent in the club. They were drinking and dancing and having fun, even the bartender started smiling more and more as the night progressed. Sugawara almost forgot how good it felt to just let go of all worries and party like there was no tomorrow. Soon enough though he felt out of balance a little, his head spinning. 

“Hey, I think I should go,” he dragged Oikawa to the side from the dancefloor. “I think I’ve had enough for one night.” 

“Okay,” his friend didn’t really mind. “Let’s pay at the bar and then we can go to my place if you want to. It’s two streets away from here, you can stay the night.” 

As they walked over to the bar and paid their drinks, Sugawara thought Oikawa’s offer over. Of course staying over would be more comfortable, he didn’t feel like paying for a taxi and walking home was completely out of question. But at the same time something told him Kuroo wouldn’t be that keen on the idea, even though he technically couldn’t forbid him from staying. Once they excited the bar, however, the decision has been made. The cold air hit him and walking has become way more difficult than before. “I’m staying over.”

He’s never been to Oikawa’s place. It was small, but cozy and clean. “I only have one bed though. It’s big enough for both of us, don’t worry,” he chuckled. “I’m going to get cleaned up,” he announced and disappeared into the bathroom. 

Sugawara sat on the chair and took out the wallet and the phone from his pockets. Blood froze in his veins when he realized he didn’t check his phone for hours now and he had 30 missed calls and at least 15 messages from Kuroo, telling him to _’come back home’_ or _’pick up the phone immediatelly’_. His fingers trembled as he typed a reply, apologizing for not hearing his phone, telling him he would be home the next day before noon and not to worry, he was safe and staying over at Oikawa’s place. He pressed send and quickly put it face down, putting the phone on silent. He couldn’t bear talking to Kuroo now and he was afraid to look what he would reply.

After Oikawa got out of the bathroom, he told him he left a fresh towel and a change of clothes for him in there. Sugawara murmured a thanks to his friend and got into the shower, washing off the sweat. The warm water nearly put him to sleep and when he got out, he pulled on the t-shirt and brand new underwear that was a bit too big for him and crawled into bed next to the already sleeping Oikawa. The last thought that crossed his mind before falling asleep was that this was the most fun he’s had in months. 

-

Ringing of the doorbell woke them early in the morning. Oikawa crawled out of the bed, cursing under his breath. 

“Who is it?” he asked with a raspy voice. Sugawara didn’t hear the answer, but when Oikawa turned to look at him with wide eyes and serious expression, it wasn’t too hard to guess who was on the other side of that door. 

Way too quickly he bolted out of the bed, pulling his trousers, changing the t-shirt from Oikawa’s to his original one and once he pulled the cardigan on, Oikawa finally opened the door. 

“Good morning,” Kuroo said, burning anger mirroring in his face. “I’ve come to pick up Sugawara.”


	9. Chapter 9

Sugawara pulled on his socks and collected the rest of his things without a word. Kuroo was still standing in the doorframe, watching his every move. He could almost feel the look on his skin, burning a hole into him. In a few minutes he was fully dressed and ready to go.

“I’ll just use the bathroom really quick –“ 

“I don’t care if you piss yourself on the way home, let’s go,” Kuroo growled, stepping in to grab Sugawara by the arm. 

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Sugawara lifted his arms in defence, slipping into his shoes and finally looking at Oikawa, who has been standing there, not quite knowing what to say or what to do. “It’s okay,” he whispered towards, him. “I’ll text you later,” he promised before walking out of the flat and shutting the door behind him. 

From there on, Kuroo didn’t say a word. They just walked over to the car and got in. The drive home wasn’t all that long, Sugawara almost wished it was longer. He feared what would happen when they got home, but when they did, Kuroo just stood there, leaning against the dining table, watching the younger man struggle with his shoes before he ran into the bathroom. 

Minutes passed before Sugawara came out, not daring to just look at Kuroo. “I am sorry for not picking up the phone. We were in the club, I didn’t hear it.” 

Kuroo nodded. “Continue,” he gestured towards him. 

“Continue? What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? You didn’t even let me know you were going out. And with Oikawa? You know how I feel about him. But then you didn’t pick up my phone and after all of that you just message me you are staying over at his place? Did you fuck him?”

“What? No! I would never –“ 

Kuroo made a step towards him, and grabbed his hand, pushing him towards the table forcefully. “You don’t mind if I check for myself then, do you?” he turned him over and bent him over. 

“No, Kuroo – please,” fear seized Sugawara. The edge of the wooden table dig into his lower abdomen painfully. “I didn’t sleep with him! Stop!” he sobbed, and twisted away, backing away to the other side of the kitchen. “Calm down!” 

Kuroo stared at him with eyes wide open, breathing heavy like he just ran a marathon. It was like he just snapped out of the jealous, violent fit and just noticed Sugawara. “I’m sorry,” he muttered and walked away into his bedroom, locking the door behind him.

-

Sugawara snuggled in his bed, thinking he would nap a little, but the sleep didn’t come. Anytime he closed his eyes, he just saw the rage in Kuroo’s eyes, the incredible possessiveness. He didn’t want to think what would happen if he let him ‘check’. Would he stop himself or would he continue until he crossed the line there was no coming back from? Suddenly he regretted it. It was nice to have fun, but he knew from the beginning that Kuroo is possessive. He liked that about him in a way, so this reaction wasn’t that big of a surprise. Yes, Kuroo scared him, but he wasn’t angry at him. 

“Kuroo?” he knocked on the door of the bedroom and tried the handle. To his surprise it opened. 

The older man was sitting on the bed, a cigarette in his hand. Sugawara climbed onto the bed without a word and wrapped his arms around Kuroo from behind. They just sat there for a few minutes in silence, thinking. 

“I’m not sorry for going out. But I’m sorry for not picking up the phone and coming home after,” Sugawara finally declared. 

“And I am sorry for pushing you. I just felt so angry that he could have put his hands on you and I just can’t bear the thought of it. In fact, after this I would just prefer you not going anywhere with him, can you do that for me?” he patted Sugawara’s hands softly before intertwining their fingers. 

“Anywhere? You mean…” 

“Meet up with him in school if you want to, but I want you with me in the evenings. Okay? I’m just terrified he would snatch you away from me and I am scared I would have to really hurt him if he touched you. You are mine, I told you before.”

Sugawara swallowed. He felt like those words should be said with a little bit more warmth in the voice, but what was coming from Kuroo was just pure possessiveness. “Alright, I understand,” he whispered before he kissed his neck. He didn’t quite understand what lead him behave this way. In any other case he would pack his things and leave, but Kuroo was different. He felt like he truly found a person he would spend the rest of his life with. He saved him, dragged him out from the worst shits, he helped his family. If seeing Oikawa less would satisfy Kuroo, he could do that. “I won’t meet up with him outside the school, I promise.”

Kuroo finally turned around and pushed Sugawara into the pillows, capturing his lips in a kiss. It tasted like tobacco. “I am never letting you go. You are mine,” he said once more before pulling Sugawara’s shirt up and softly kissing the sore part where the edge of the table dug into his skin. 

“I love you,” Sugawara finally breathed with tears in his eyes. He definitely didn’t plan to tell Kuroo this way, but the overwhelming rush of emotions made it impossible to hold back. He loved him, that is why he would forgive him this slip up and slowly he would prove that he didn’t have to fear of losing Sugawara for anybody else. “I’m yours and I love you.” 

-

Sugawara finished the last of his semester exams and nearly ran home. He had a good feeling about all of them and couldn’t wait to get his grades back. He even took a break at work for a few days to cram and slept in his own bedroom for the past two weeks now, as his sleeping schedule became very irregular. Right now he just wanted to snuggle in bed with Kuroo, eat take out, watch movies and make out all night. The results would appear online the next day and he needed the distraction, otherwise he would be able to sit in front of the laptop, refreshing the page all night. 

“I’ve missed you,” Kuroo murmured when he hugged his flushed, naked lover. “What about we go celebrate tomorrow? Dinner out?” 

“Sounds amazing,” Sugawara smiled and kissed Kuroo’s chest. “I feel like we haven’t spent time together in ages. But now it’s months until another big exams so we’ll be fine,” he brushed the muscles with his fingertips. “And the dinner sounds amazing. Indian, please?” he made puppy eyes on Kuroo, who just rolled his eyes with a smile before promising they would get Indian.

The next day Sugawara jumped out of the bed and logged into the university website. A little smile was permanently stuck to his lips because he knew he gave it his all and surely it has paid off. 

His entire world crumbled into dust when he found out he failed them all.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, remember me? I'm back! 
> 
> I know this work has been without updates for so long and the reason for it was that I was too busy with school. And although I love writing, the school has been much more important. And it still is, unfortunately I've failed my final exams due to bad luck and insane level of anxiety, I've never felt this horrible so by the time I got to speak about the questions I picked, I was completely blank.
> 
> Anyways, that gives me a few months before the retake during which I will do my best to write as much as I can! I've promised I would not leave this fic unfinished and I will hold onto that promise. 
> 
> Prepare for some weird stuff. Also excuse me if the writing is a bit awkward, I haven't written anything in those months so I need a bit to get back into it. Thank you for understanding!!

He failed all the exams. He lost the scholarship. He didn’t have enough money to pay the tuition fees and ended up having to quit the university. The understanding of how it happened still escaped him. He studied, hard. He was certain he passed them all and even if he didn’t expect all A’s, the results didn’t match his efforts. 

“Are you okay?” Kuroo stood in the doorway of Sugawara’s room, watching the younger lean on the chair, downing one shot of vodka after another. 

Sugawara didn’t even bother to look at him, snorting bitterly. “Yeah, I’m brilliant. Why would I not be?”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Kuroo walked into the room and took the bottle from him. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Sugawara snapped his head around, almost falling from the chair. 

“It’s been two months. Pull yourself together. So you failed the university, so what? The world doesn’t end here.” 

“The world doesn’t end here?” the younger laughed out loud, but his eyes welled with tears. “It was my world. I should have finished the school and get a good job and do something with my life. Now I’ll end up as an uneducated sales assistant in some corner shop and you say ‘so what’? The base for my life isn’t as perfect as yours,” his voice hitched and he cleared his throat. “If I were to do something I would have to work my ass off for it, it wouldn’t just be given to me by my rich daddy,” Sugawara spat out, but his voice already lacked the anger that would send Kuroo over the edge. 

“Yeah, sure,” Kuroo growled in a low voice and grabbed Sugawara by his arm and pulled him to his legs before dragging him to the bathroom. “You’re going to take a nice shower,” he took of all his clothes and pushed him into the shower before he proceeded to undress himself “and I’m going to take your mind off all this.” 

-

“Please, could you not smoke in the bed?” Sugawara murmured, trying to supress the nauseous feeling. After the shower they dried themselves and ended up in Kuroo’s bed. Now, three hours later, they were both exhausted, sticky and sweaty, just about ready to take another shower. 

Kuroo rolled his eyes before placing the cigarette between his lips once again and inhaling. “My house, my rules,” he smiled at the younger, but his eyes remained ice cold. “Have you calmed down?”

“Hm..” he hummed and closed his eyes. “I just don’t know what I’m gonna do now.” 

“Do what you’ve done until now. You can keep living here, you still have your job in the restaurant –“

“I haven’t been there in two months. They have already kicked me out.”

Kuroo snorted before shaking his head. “No they haven’t. I called the manager, he’s holding the spot for you. I could try to convince him to offer you a full time spot instead of part-time if you want me to. You would earn twice the amount of money. You can save up and in time you can try the university again later. Or maybe you will find that academic achievements were never your destiny and there is something better out there for you. Who knows. But just stop pitying yourself and start doing something about it.”

“I’m not pitying myself. It’s normal to be upset when everything falls apart,” Sugawara propped himself up on his elbows, staring at his lover with a frown.

“Whatever you say,” Kuroo shrugged. “Anyways, you have a shift at the restaurant tomorrow evening so don’t forget that. Also I’ll need you to pick up a package from a friend again, I’ll have a meeting at the time he’ll be available. In the back alley behind the restaurant so it’s convenient for you, alright?”

“A shift?” Sugawara sat up. “You have planned me a shift without my knowledge?”

“It’s not like you were planning to do anything else. And I need you to go there. So you’re welcome. You can thank me by making dinner perhaps? Thanks,” Kuroo placed another cigarette between his lips, rolling away from Sugawara, ending their conversation. 

-

And so Sugawara’s life got into the habit of getting up, making breakfast for Kuroo, cleaning up all morning before making himself lunch and heading to the restaurant. More often than not he had been given the task to pick up the package from Kuroo’s friends, however no longer without doubts that all those weird people weren’t actually Kuroo’s friends. Once he tried to ask Kuroo what was in those small packs, but got told it was none of his business. And maybe he was right - up until the moment he showed up to pick up a package from obviously a disturbed man. 

“I’m here on behalf of Kuroo to pick up –“

“I know why you’re here. Here it is,” he threw the small, familiar package to Sugawara. “Tell him I don’t have any more. I can’t – my wife and kids –“ the man started shaking and tears glistened in his eyes. “I can’t do this to them.”

Sugawara opened his mouth and then closed it again. He didn’t really know what was going on, he didn’t even know what was in the package, but it was obviously quite important to the man. “Okay, please calm down. Can I help you in any way? Do you need some water or..?”

“No, no, no, give it back to me,” he extended his hand, grabbing after the package. 

Sugawara froze on the spot. The man seemed almost insane, his face getting more and more red and his eyes almost popping out of his head. His entire body was shaking as he pulled out a knife, his hands trembling. “I said give me the fucking money!” 

“Money? What are you talking abo – “ searing pain ran through his arm as the man slashed him across his arm, snatched the money and started running away. The entire situation happened so fast it took Sugawara several seconds before he truly understood what just happened. From the corner of his eye he noticed dark stain spreading over his white shirt and that snapped him back into reality. Quickly he took out his phone, tears welling up in his eyes. 

“Kuroo – Kuroo I need you to get me to the hospital, that friend of yours took out a knife on me.”

“I’m on my way,” was all Kuroo replied before putting down the call. 

Everything that happened after was hazy. It was like he entered a different dimension, every movement he’s done felt so slow and his body was so heavy. The pain dulled from the shock or the adrenaline or whatever, he did not know. The only thing he was absolutely sure of was that he needed Kuroo to come and take him to the hospital. 

It felt like seconds and hours at the same time, but soon enough there were strong arms lifting him to his feet. He did not even realize he sat down on the ground. The familiar scent enveloped him and he looked up into the dark eyes, expecting to see worry, but he met an ice cold gaze with no warm emotions at all. 

“I need you to take me to the hospital,” he whispered to his lover. 

“Well then you should have called someone else.”


	11. Chapter 11

Sugawara thought he heard wrong. Surely he was just delirious from the pain and adrenaline and everything that just happened. Still, he felt like his insides turned to ice. 

“What? No, Kuroo, I’m serious, I think I need stitches,” he breathed out, his head spinning. 

“So am I. I am not taking you to the hospital. They would ask questions and you just wouldn’t keep your mouth shut,” Kuroo steered left suddenly, the sudden movement sending sharp pain up Sugawara’s arm. 

“What do you mean wouldn’t keep my mouth shut? That man deserves to be reported to the police! Kuroo, please, I need – “

“You need to shut up. That is what you need to do.”

-

They parked in an underground parking lot of a giant building. Without a word, Kuroo pulled bleeding Sugawara out of the car and took him into a lift. The younger boy wanted to say something, ask where they were going, but one look at the stone cold expression and dark shadows on Kuroo’s face prevented him from doing so. Just what the hell did he get into? They went up thirty floors before reaching the top. In silence they walked past the receptionist, tiny but stern looking lady and through a few halls before Kuroo knocked on one of the doors, not waiting for a reply before entering. 

“Naoi, we’re here. I need you to stitch him up,” Kuroo shoved Sugawara towards the man sitting at the table. He was young, probably around 30, but definitely didn’t look like a doctor. 

“Master Kuroo, of course,” he bowed a little before crossing the room towards the chest of drawers, taking out the supplies needed. “I’ll let you know when we’re done here.”

“Good,” Kuroo nodded and turned around. 

“Wait!” Sugawara finally said something, as if he woke up from the shock of everything that was happening. “Where are you going?” 

Kuroo turned around, looking down at him condescendingly. “That is none of your concern,” he turned back to the hall and left the room. 

“Could you take off your shirt for me?” Naoi gestured to his arm, but Sugawara looked at him as if he spoke a different language.

“No, I need to go to the hospital, I don’t know you just – “ 

“Please, calm down. He’s not going to let you go there, you know this. So please, remove your shirt, sit down and let me stitch this up for you, unless you want a giant scar or infection to get into the wound.”

Sugawara paused for another few seconds before he did just what he was told. His world crumbled. It was as if Kuroo was a completely different person to the one he got to know in the previous months. And his naive ass walked right into it. He should have known that his life was suddenly too good to be true, it had to come to the end somehow. He just didn’t expect it to be so painful and bleeding. Kuroo was heartless, almost as if he felt nothing for Sugawara at all. It didn’t make sense to him at all.

“I’m going to give you local anaesthetic, so bear with me,” Naoi drew liquid into a syringe. “I don’t know what you were thinking, letting someone cut you like this. I thought the collectors were all trained in self-defence.” He let the tip of the syringe slide through Sugawara’s skin, injecting the liquid around the wound. 

“The collectors? What do you mean? I have no idea what is going on.”

Naoi paused, giving Sugawara a confused look. “Sorry, I thought you were one of the collectors. Now be still and silent, I need to focus.” 

-

“All done. Cleaned, stitched and bandaged,” Naoi must have messaged Kuroo when Sugawara was lost in his thoughts. 

“Good. Sugawara, get up. We’re leaving.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Sugawara lifted his eyes to face the indifferent look. Before he could say anything else he found himself lifted up to his feet and dragged out of the room. This time, he put up a fight, but Kuroo’s grip on his healthy arm was strong. He did not release him before they got back into the elevator and pressed the button that would take him back to the parking lot. 

“What is going on? Why are you like this? What – what happened to you?” 

“And he literally never shuts up,” Kuroo muttered under his breath. “What happened to me? I needed you to do one thing. One. Thing. And you fuck that up. How hard would it be to just get the money like you were supposed to. He was 45. Are you really such a weakling that an old guy like that gets an upper hand with you?” 

An anger boiled in Sugawara’s chest. “Money? What money? You mean all of this time I was taking money from the people you told me were your friends?” 

“Do you seriously think I’m dumb? Do you really want me to believe that you did not look into any of the packages you took from those people?” Kuroo chuckled, shaking his head. “You are even more stupid than I thought.” 

“Stupid? I trusted you!” Sugawara cried out, the desperation and rage mixing into feelings he’s never felt before. 

“And that is exactly what makes you stupid. Did you really think I did all of this from the goodness of my heart? You know, you should really start listening to other people. Oikawa had seen it, Kenma tried to warn you, but you just wouldn’t listen. Why would you, right? All of a sudden there was you saviour, rescuing you from your miserable life and you didn’t even stop for a second to question my intentions? I knew you were thick, but this really surprised me. Get in,” Kuroo gestured towards the car, but Sugawara stopped, shaking his head. 

“I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t know what game you are playing, but I’m done with you. I will come to pack my things tomorrow and you will never see me again. I won’t just stand here and get insulted by you.”

Kuroo slowly turned his head towards the younger boy, making sure to show him the gun cleverly hidden under his jacket. “If you think you have a choice here, you are mistaken. You will get into this car and you will listen to what I tell you. Let me guess, you think I will let you move out so you can run to Oikawa and then what? You will go to the police? Let me make this clear – you were in on all of this. You didn’t even know you were working for me and my father but trust me, I can make this seem like you were elbows deep in this shit. Also I should remind you that you owe me 25 million yen – plus interest if you don’t behave, of course. And your father? I can make the guys he borrowed the money from remember he still owes them. I’m sure you wouldn’t want that. So spare me any of your pointless yapping and get. In the fucking. Car.” 

Sugawara closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He screwed up. He got himself into some deep shit. Kuroo was right, people tried to warn him but he wanted to believe he found his soulmate. Slowly he approached the car and got in the passenger seat. 

“You are a loan shark, aren’t you?” The silence that followed carried the answer more than clearly. “But why me?” he whispered. He needed to know. 

Kuroo took a minute before answering. They were already on the road when he exhaled and finally confessed, “because you were so innocent and pristine. And you looked just like him. Just like Eita.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE

It’s been two days since the attack, but more importantly it has been two days since Sugawara realized he has never been in such a giant mess. He had been moved back into the guest room immediately and his phone got taken away as well as his keys and free will. He was a prisoner. His task was to clean and cook and care for Kuroo but that was basically what he was doing before, but any nice moments they had were gone. The more he thought about it maybe they were never there. All the touches suddenly seemed distant when he realized he had been a replacement for someone else and all the nice words were probably directed at this ‘Eita’ too. He has lost himself in the idea of a perfect love story that he ignored all the red flags along the way. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that it was all a lie. Maybe Kuroo was just hurt, maybe all he needed was someone to teach him true love again, not this manipulative crap he lured Sugawara in. 

“Do you want some coffee?” he offered Ushijima, a giant, muscular guy, assigned to make sure Sugawara does not talk to anyone when Kuroo is out of the house. He did not talk much, for most of the time he just sat on the couch, reading newspaper or typing something on his phone. He refused the offer just like all the times before, not even lifting his eyes from his phone display. 

“Okay,” Sugawara murmured, pouring himself a cup, but it tasted bland. 

There was a knock on the main door, but before Sugawara could even turn around, Ushijima was behind him, pressing his big, strong hand against the boy’s mouth. “Sugawara, are you there? Hey, it’s Oikawa!” 

Sugawara struggled against Ushijima, wanted to let his friend know he was there. While he believed Kuroo would not hurt him, the opportunity to escape just presented itself, but there was no way he would be able to overpower the man. He felt tears rising to his eyes and his body went limp. There was no point in struggling. As soon as the man felt he would meet no resistance, he lessened the grip he had on Sugawara, who used this one chance to slip away from his hold. 

“Oikawa, he – “ he didn’t get two steps away before he got grabbed by Ushijima again, but this time got dragged away to his bathroom. The man shoved him inside the dark and locked the door. Here he could be screaming and banging on the door and nobody would hear. There was no way any sound would leak out in such a luxurious building. 

Suddenly, he felt fear pooling in his stomach, squeezing the air out of his lungs. What if Oikawa heard? What if he would try to get his friend out of there? These people were dangerous and he would never forgive himself if he put his friend in harm’s way. Calling out was stupid of him, he realized before his eyes overflowed and his knees gave out. The reality of the situation started downing on him. There was a possibility he wouldn’t make it out alive. 

-

The lock clicked, and the door opened, letting in blinding light, waking Sugawara up. He must have been in there for hours, crying himself to sleep on the cold marble floor. Kuroo entered the room, leaning against the doorframe, looking down at the broken boy with unreadable face. 

“So, you tried to run away, huh?” 

Sugawara slowly sat up, his eyes burning and his back stiff, looking down on his hands. He said nothing. It didn’t matter, Kuroo would not listen. In fact, in the car on the way back he got told to just shut up so many times that he knew Kuroo just hated his voice. 

“Get up,” he ordered him sharply when Sugawara just sat there. “I said get up,” Kuroo grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet before pushing him against the wall. “Okay, new rules. If you try to escape again, I might start losing my patience. And who knows what might happen then. So please, do yourself a favour and be a good boy,” he slid his warm hand against Sugawara’s side, stopping at his hip before squeezing it. “And if you think I’m just screwing around, just imagine what happened to Oikawa. You really shouldn’t have called for him.” Kuroo smirked when Sugawara finally met his eyes, completely terrified. 

“What did you do to Oikawa?” Sugawara whispered, but got no reply. Instead, Kuroo dragged him out of the bathroom, throwing him on the bed in the guest bedroom. Wave of sharp pain ran through his injured arm and he only hoped he did not tear out the stitches. 

“Why do you care? You obviously don’t, otherwise you would have kept your mouth shut. Time to see if you learned your lesson. Take off your clothes.” Kuroo took off his suit jacket and threw it onto the chair before loosening his tie.

Fresh tears ran over Sugawara’s face. He couldn’t imagine what happened to his friend, but it surely wasn’t anything good. What if he was hurt? What if he was dead? Blood rushed to his ears and his heart ached for the beautiful, kind boy he met the first day of his university journey. He should have trusted him, he should have… 

Loud slap sounded through the room as Kuroo’s hand connected with the side of Sugawara’s face.

“Did you not hear me? Take off your clothes,” Kuroo growled angrily. 

The boy’s trembling fingers started fumbling with the buttons of his shirt and soon he was half naked, cold air brushing against his burning skin. The pain in his cheek soon turned into dull discomfort. When Sugawara undressed completely, he hugged his knees. Obviously it was not the first time Kuroo has seen him naked, but it was the first time he felt this uncomfortable. 

“Turn around.”

-

He no longer had the strength to cry, nor get up and go clean himself up. He was sweaty and sticky with Kuroo’s cum, bruises forming on his hips. He doubted he would even be able to stand up straight. He never felt worse than at that moment. Broken shell of a person, used, abused and left to his own after it was all over. Nothing could stop him from feeling like he deserved this; for being so naïve, so blind and for putting Oikawa in danger. Every move of his body caused him excruciating pain when he finally convinced himself to at least cover the shame with a blanket. 

Maybe he would wake up the next day to find out it was all just a nightmare and Kuroo truly loved him. Or maybe he would not wake up at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for all the hits, kudos and comments! <3


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